In photosynthesis, plants use:

- water, which they get from the soil

- carbon dioxide, which they get from air
- energy, which they get from sunlight

- A common idea about how plants get their food is that they create it from air,
water, and minerals in the soil.

- Carbohydrates ( like glucose, C H O ) contain the elements carbon, hydrogen,

and oxygen.

✓ Carbon and oxygen supplied by carbon dioxide

✓ Hydrogen=water in the soil

✓ Nitrogen and sulfur (needed for making proteins) could come from
nitrates and sulfates in the soil

- Plants use the energy from sunlight to make water and carbon dioxide combine
together in a chemical reaction

- By this, two new substances, glucose and oxygen are made in the reaction.

sunlight
• Word equation: Carbon dioxide + water → Glucose + oxygen
chlorophyll

• Chemical equation: Co HO → C H O O
- Co represents six molecules of carbon dioxide.
- represents six molecules of water.
- The arrow (--> or →) indicates the direction of the reaction, from left to
right.
- Light energy is required for photosynthesis and is absorbed by chlorophyll, a
pigment in plant cells.
- C H O represents glucose, a simple sugar and the primary product of
photosynthesis.
- O represents six molecules of oxygen, which are released as a byproduct
of photosynthesis and are released into the atmosphere.

Biology Page 1