VYSYA COLLEGE, SALEM-103

CLASS: III-B.SC BIOCHEMISTRY

SUBJECT: PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY SUBJECT CODE: 20UBCE01
TOPIC: PHOTOSYNTHESIS UNIT: II 1

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 Photosynthesis is the biosynthesis of simple sugar (glucose and fructose)
in chloroplast using H2O and CO2 in presence of sunlight.
 The products of photosynthesis are usually carbohydrates. It occurs in
green tissue of plants. The green plants, carrying out photosynthesis, are
called autotrophic plants.

 Photosynthesis literally means the synthesis with the help of light.

 It is also called carbon assimilation because carbon of CO2 is incorporated
into sugar.
 Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts. During photosynthesis, light
energy (solar) is converted into chemical energy and stored as
carbohydrates.
 Carbon di oxide and water are raw materials and the byproducts of
photosynthesis are water and oxygen.
 The co2 diffuses into the chloroplast through the stomata and water
diffuses into the chloroplast from xylem of the leaf. 6CO 2 and 12 H2O
molecules combine to form one glucose molecule, 6H2O and 6O2.
 The H2O is split into 2H+ and ½ O2 by photolysis. Half of the H+ ions are
used to reduce carbon in CO2 to form sugar and the rest is used for
forming water along with O2 coming from the CO2.
 The O2 coming from, H2O is released out in the air by diffusion.
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 The sugar residues thus formed are converted into starch and released into
the cytoplasm of cell.
 One molecule of glucose has about 686 K.Cal of energy. Approximately
90% of the world’s photosynthesis is carried out by marine and fresh water
algae.
 The earth receives 650 X 1021 cal. Energy from the sun every year of this
energy, only 0.5X 1021 cal. energy is utilized for photosynthesis per year.

Significance of photosynthesis:
 Photosynthesis provides Food to all living organisms.’
 Plant growth and yield are determined by the rate of photosynthesis.
 It replenishes the earth’s atmosphere with O2 that is vital to life.
 It maintains equilibrium of O2 in the atmosphere by utilizing CO2.
 The vast reserves of energy in the form of coal, oil, peat and dung are the
outcome of photosynthesis.

PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS:
SITE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS (CHLOROPLAST):
The chloroplasts in green plants constitute the photosynthetic
apparatus. Typically, the chloroplasts of higher plants are discoid or
ellipsiodal in shape, 4-6µ in length and 1-2µ thick. The chloroplast is bounded
by two membranes each app. 50 Å thick and consisting of lipid bilayer and
proteins.
Internally the chloroplast is filled with a hydrophilic matrix called as
stroma in which is embedded granum. Each granum has a diameter of 0.25-
0.8µ and consists of 5-25 disk shaped grana lamellae placed one above the
other like the stack of coins. In cross section these lamellae are paired to form

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sac like structures and have been called as thylakoids. Each grana lamella or
thylakoid encloses a space, the loculus or lumen.
The ends of disk-shaped thylakoids are called as margins (which are
fused to form sac or lumen like structure) while the contiguous membranes
between two thylakoids form the partition. Some of the grana-lamellae or
thylakoids of a granum are connected with thylakoids of other grana by some-
what thinner stroma-lamellae or fret membranes.
These also enclose spaces which are called as fret-channels. Thylakoid
membranes and stroma lamellae both are composed of lipid bilayer and
proteins.

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 Chlorophylls and other photosynthetic pigments are found in the form of
protein pigment complexes mainly in thylakoid membranes of grana. The
latter are sites of primary photochemical reaction. Some of the protein-
pigment complexes are also found in stroma lamellae.
Dark reaction of photosynthesis occurs in stroma. Besides necessary enzymes,
some ribosomes and DNA have also been found in chloroplasts which give
them (chloroplasts) a partial genetic autonomy.

Photosynthetic pigments
 Coloured substances of chloroplasts taking part in photosynthesis are
called photosynthesis pigments. They include chlorophylls, carotenoids
and phycobilins.
 Chlorphylls are green pigments that are insoluble in water but soluble in
organic solvents. Chlorophyll-a is present in all higher plants, chlorophyll-
b is seen in higher plants and chlorphylll-c, d and e are mainly confined to
some algae.
 Carotenoids and xanthophull are yellow pigments and they are insoluble in
water and soluble in organic solvents.
 Phycobilins are blue/ red coloured pigments soluble in water.
 Each of these pigments has a unique absorption property. Therefore,
pigments differ among themselves in their absorption peaks.
 All pigments other than chlorophyll-a are called accessory pigments
because they absorb light energy and transfer the energy to chlorophyll-a.