Photosynthesis: The Process Of Photosynthesis

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Photosynthesis (an autotrophic function) converts light energy into chemical energy that can be utilized in the form of sugar and other organic compounds. The process of photosynthesis involves several steps of chemical reactions using carbon dioxide and water as reactants, in which photons of energy from light drive the reaction. The end products of photosynthesis are a sugar and oxygen that is released into the atmosphere. The chemical equation for photosynthesis is as follows:

6 CO2 + 6 H2O → 6(CH2O) + 6 O2

Zeroing in on the chemistry of photosynthesis reveals that the reaction is oxidation-reduction in that water is a proton donor (further, the electron donor of H). The oxygen released from the reaction is also contributed by the water in the reactant. Therefore, carbon dioxide serves as the electron acceptor, thus being reduced, while water is oxidized because it donated that electron.

To fully grasp the processes allowing photosynthesis to occur, one must understand plant (and ultimately the chloroplasts within plant cells) anatomy. Photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of a plant. Zooming in on the leaves to a cellular level, there are 5 important structures within chloroplast anatomy. An outermembrane holds the organelle’s …show more content…

Cyanobacteria, being the oldest fossil on Earth, began as a prokaryotic cell with a nucleoid, that eventually evolved to infold along the cell. An aerobic proteobacterium was ingested and eventually evolved into mitochondria in the cell OR as cyanobacterium. These eukaryotes went on to accommodate capability of photosynthesis via chloroplasts (versus mitochondria). As a comparison, it can be said that chloroplasts and mitochondria perform opposite functions. The physiology of chloroplasts builds glucose from carbon dioxide, water, and light. The function of mitochondria breaks down glucose to make ATP for

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