Important Difference Between Mitochondria and Chloroplasts

Difference Between Mitochondria and Chloroplasts:

The following are the points of difference between Mitochondria and Chloroplasts.

Mitochondria	Chloroplasts
Mitochondria are colourless cell organelles.	Chloroplasts are green cell organelles.
Mitochondria occur in plants, animals, protists and fungi.	Chloroplasts occur in plants and some protists.
The organelles are found in all cells of aerobic organisms.	They are present in only green cells exposed to light.
Mitochondria are generally cylindrical in outline.	Chloroplasts of higher plants are discoid in outline. They have various shapes in lower organisms.
The inner membrane shows involutions called cristae.	The inner membrane develops involutions called thylakoids or lamellae.
Cristae remain attached to the inner membrane.	Thylakoids generally separate from the inner membrane.
Intracristal space is connected to the outer chamber.	Intrathylakoid space or loculus is not connected to periplastidial space.
There is no stacking of cristae.	Thylakoids are stacked at places to produce grana.
Mitochondria lack pigments.	Chloroplasts possess photosynthetic pigments.
ATPase synthetase projects towards the inner surface of cristae.	ATPase synthetase projects towards the outer surface of thylakoids.
They undertake catabolic reactions.	Chloroplasts perform anabolic reactions.
There is no mechanism to harvest light energy.	They are able to harvest light energy and convert it into chemical energy.
Mitochondria perform part of respiration.	Chloroplasts perform all the steps of photosynthesis.
Organic food is broken down to produce energy.	Organic food is built up to store energy.
They consume oxygen.	They liberate oxygen.
Mitochondria produce CO₂ and H₂O as end products.	Chloroplasts utilise CO₂ and H₂O as raw materials.