Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide and water into especially sugar and oxygen using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis is made up of two words: photo which means light and synthesis which means composition. Photosynthesis is vital for life on earth. It is source of energy for almost all forms of life on earth. In addition, it plays an important role in maintaining the level of oxygen in atmosphere. This process occurs in plants and some algae and bacteria.
The process of photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts using the green pigment, chlorophyll. Photosynthesis takes place primarily in leaves. The stomates in leaf are holes which occur primarily in the lower epidermis and let CO2 in and O2 out. The mesophyll cells have chloroplasts and this is where photosynthesis occurs.
Plants mostly absorb red and blue wavelengths which make chlorophyll appear green. However, it is the energy from the red and blue light, thereby, able to be used to do photosynthesis. The equation below shows chemical reaction involved in photosynthesis:
6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy —> C6H12O6 + 6O2
The whole process doesn’t happen all at one time. It takes place in two main parts. The first part is called the light dependent reaction. This reaction happens when the light energy is captured and pushed into a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a compound used by cells for energy storage. The second part is called the light independent reaction. The dark reaction takes place in the stroma within the chloroplast, and converts CO2 to sugar. This reaction doesn’t directly need light in order to occur. The dark reaction involves a cycle called the Calvin cycle in which CO2 and energy from ATP are used to form sugar.
Image source: https://www.butler.edu/herbarium/treeid/photosynthesis.jpg
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