Photosynthesis Production of Glucose by Using Sunlight
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Photosynthesis Using sunlight to make food Photosynthesis Some interesting facts • Life on earth is solar powered – It means life can continue to exist on earth only with a continued supply of sunlight. • The favorable temperature on earth is maintained by greenhouse effect of gases like CO2 (slow down heat loss from earth into space). Earth would be much colder without this effect. • In one year Photosynthesis produces 160 billion tons of carbohydrates. • There are about 500,000 photosynthetic factories/square mm. • Trees like willow and Eucalyptus are grown as energy plantations to supply wood to burn in power plants. Wood burning does not cause acid rain like burning of coal or diesel (fossil fuels). These trees grow fast and unlike fossil fuels are renewable. • Visible light has 7 colors and 3 main regions Blue, Green and Red. Plants absorb and utilize blue and red regions of visible light and emit green region. That is why plants look green. The Basics of Photosynthesis - Chloroplasts Chloroplasts – The Site of Photosynthesis Chloroplasts are organelles bound with double membranes and found in most plant cells exposed to sunlight. Stroma: The inner membrane encloses a thick fluid called Stroma. Interconnected Membranous sacs called Thylakoids are present inside stroma. Grana: The thylakoids arrange at many places into stacks called Grana (sing. Granum). Photosynthesis • Overall Reaction: Photosynthesis operates only in the presence of sunlight and uses the pigment Chlorophyll and enzyme systems of chloroplasts. • 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H1206 + 6O2 Carbon Dioxide Water Glucose Oxygen • 2 Phases of Photosynthesis: • The Light Reactions and • The Calvin Cycle (the dark reactions) Photosynthesis Light reaction Calvin Cycle = dark reaction • Uses sunlight energy • Uses sunlight energy directly indirectly • Occurs in thylakoid • Occurs in Stroma membranes • Splits water and releases • Uses CO2, ATP, NADPH Oxygen • Produces ATP and NADPH • Produces Glucose Photosynthesis – Light Reactions • The Light Reactions occur only in presence of Light. • And take place in Thylakoid / Grana. • The pigment/enzyme systems in grana split H2O molecules into 2H+ and 2e- and Oxygen by using the energy of sunlight. 2 oxygen atoms combine and form O2. The chloroplasts release O2 into environment. • The 2 e- pass through Photosystem-2 and Photosystem-1 and generate ATP molecules, like in mitochondria. • Then NADP accepts the 2 e- and 1 H to form NADPH. • Overall Light phase or light reactions: 12H2O + 12NADP + 12ADP + energy 12NADPH + 12ATP + 6O2 Photosynthesis – Light Reactions • During light reactions phosphate is added to ADP to produce ATP. The process is called Phosphorylation. Photosynthesis – The Calvin Cycle • Dark phase = The Calvin Cycle – is the making of Glucose from CO2. It can operate in darkness but utilizes the products of light phase, NADPH and ATP to reduce CO2 into Glucose. It occurs in Stroma. • Calvin Cycle has 3 main parts. • 1. CO2 Fixation: A 5C molecule RuBP (P - 5C – P)accepts CO2 in the presence of enzyme Rubisco and splits into 2 molecules of 3C – P, Phosphoglyeraldehyde. • 2. Glycolytic Reversal: ATP and NADPH produced during light reactions help to make Glucose and other sugars from P – 3C. • 3. Regeneration of RuBP (Ribulose Bi Phosphate): RuBP is regenerated through interconversions of sugars. The dark phase is a Cycle because the starting chemical RuBP is regenerated. Calvin Cycle 2 • 6 cycles of Calvin Cycle use 6 CO2 to produce 1 molecule of Glucose and uses 12 NADPH + 18 ATP produced in the light phase. • Overall Reaction: • 6 CO2 + 12 NADPH + 18 ATP C6H12O6 + 12 NADP + 18 ADP.