Photosynthesis and its Discovery

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Photosynthesis
The Prentice Gallery Chemistry book defines photosynthesis as, “The procedure by which green plants and algae use radiant power from the sun to fuse glucose from carbon dioxide and water.” The glory of discovering photosynthesis does not belong to any one scientist, but rather numerous scientists contributed to refining the concept we now know as photosynthesis. Before describing the process of photosynthesis, I will provide a brief description of several of the important events that led to its discovery.
In 1643 Jan Baptista Van Helmont crafted an examination where he observed the development of a willow tree inside a plant pot. From this examination he surmised that a willow tree acquired its nutrients from the water it was supplied. Van Helmont erred by deducing that the physical development of all parts of the tree came solely from the water that he added over a five year sequence. However, he did complete the first record of a biological experiment in which all ingredients were measured accurately and all changes noted precisely.
Another scientist that added ...

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