Picture of Carotene

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with the 3D model of the
Carotene structure
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Picture of Carotene

As the summer sun fades away, the bright green of the trees leaves also fades, and the leaves take on the autumn colors or reds, oranges and browns. The green color is derived from the chlorophyll molecule.

The rich autumn colors come from the carotene molecules in leaves.

Update by Karl Harrison
(Molecule of the Month for November 1999 )