LESSON 13:

PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND
RESPIRATION
PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RESPIRATION
Energy conversions involve the release of energy stored in chemical
bonds. The energy storage molecules used by all cells is-are called
adenosine triphosphate or ATP. It is composed of adenine, ribose and,
three phosphates. ATP stores energy, while some molecules exchange
energy.

ATP consists of three major parts:

• Ribose is a five-carbon sugar molecule

• Adenine is one of the nucleotides of RNA and DNA. The ribose bonds
with adenine to form a molecule called adenosine.
The three phosphates, called the triphosphate group is linked in a
chain that is bonded to adenosine. When these bonds are broken, the
energy stored in the bonds is transferred to other chemical reactions.
During photosynthesis, energy is exchanged when chemical reactions
called reduction reactions add electrons to carbon dioxide molecules.

Reduction is the addition of electrons to an atom or ion. It is called a

reduction process because the addition of electrons, which carry a
negative charge, reduces the charge of the molecule. The addition of
an electron increased the energy contained in the molecule.

The reduction of carbon dioxide molecules leads to the formation of

energy-richcarbohydrates, including glucose.

Glucose is a molecule used as an energy source by almost all organisms.

The loss of an electron from an atom or ion is called oxidation.
Oxidized molecules are low in energy. Although oxygen is an electron
acceptor, many oxidation reactions do not involve oxygen.

Chemical reactions in which one molecule is oxidized and the other is

reduced are called oxidation-reduction reactions, or simply called
redox reactions.

Three important events occur during the process of photosynthesis,

these are light energy absorption, conversion into chemical energy, and
formation of carbohydrates by reduction of carbon dioxide.
Cell respiration is a process by which food molecules are broken down
to release energy. In any cellular process involved, energy is required to
both build and break down molecules like large proteins that make up
the muscles are actively built from smaller molecules. Complex
carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars that the cell uses for
energy and exporting toxic wastes.