why do leaves change color?...what is the chemistry behind it?

Answer 1

are you serious??? wow how old are you because you don't have to be a genious to know that...not tryin to be mean, but google would be a better search engine.

Answer 2

The theory is that the tree does two things to prepare for winter. It withdraws the chlorophyll, the molecule that makes leaves green, into the tree. This is because as the days become shorter there is less light and maintaining the chlorophyll results in a net loss of energy. Some trees also have red leaves. This is because the tree makes a chemical called anthocyanins. The best theory to explain this is called the "light screen" theory. The anthocyanins protect the leaves from over excitement. At a certain point due to the harsher conditions of fall and the tree withdrawing chlorophyll the chlorophyll starts to become unproductive when exposed to too much light. So the anthocyanins shield the chlorophyll so that it doesn't get too much light. All of this just so that the tree gets the best deal possible. Hurray for science!

Answer 3

There is less chlorophyll production due to shorter daylight during the fall, so the other pigments of leaves begin to dominate.
Here is a website that might help you..it goes into better detail...
http://universalfacts.blogspot.com/2005/09/why-leaves-change-color-in-fall.html

Answer 4

Leaves change colour as the plant withdraws chlorophyll and sap from the leaf structure, prior to shedding the leaf. These valuable products are retained in the plant to be utilised in the next flourish of growth, which is why pre-growth is green and moist if snapped open.