Editing Xanthophyll (section)

==Molecular structure==
[[Image:Cryptoxanthin.svg|thumb|right|400px|The chemical structure of [[cryptoxanthin]]. Xanthophylls typically present oxygen as a [[hydroxyl group]].]]
[[File:Chromatography of chlorophyll - Step 7.jpg|right|thumb|130px|Thin layer chromatography is used to separate components of a plant extract, illustrating the experiment with plant pigments that gave chromatography its name. Plant xanthophylls form the bright yellow band next to the green.]]

As both are carotenoids, xanthophylls and carotenes are similar in structure, but xanthophylls contain [[oxygen]] atoms while carotenes are ''purely [[hydrocarbon]]s'', which do not contain oxygen. Their content of oxygen causes  xanthophylls to be more [[polar molecule|polar]] (in molecular structure) than carotenes, and causes their separation from carotenes in many types of [[chromatography]]. (Carotenes are usually more orange in color than xanthophylls.)
Xanthophylls present their oxygen either as [[hydroxyl group]]s and/or as hydrogen atoms substituted by oxygen atoms when acting as a bridge to form [[epoxide]]s.