SECOND QUARTER:

Power Plant
Lesson 5: Photosynthesis

Learning Objectives Output/Product

• Describe the structures where photosynthesis Journal Task (project)
occurs in plant cells Calvin Cycle Diagram
• Explain how photosynthetic organisms use light
energy to form glucose
• Compare and contrast light-dependent and
light-independent photosynthetic reactions
• State the chemical equation of photosynthesis

In this lesson, we will study how photosynthesis transforms solar energy into chemical energy as food for
organisms, and realize how important the sun is in sustaining life processes. Let’s value the role of photosynthesis
as energy source in the food chain.

DISCUSSION

Photosynthesis
-converts solar energy into energy stored in glucose

Chemical Reaction:
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Light Energy

SPECIALIZED CELL ORGANELLES FOR ENERGY TRANSFORMATION

Plants’ organelles specific for light-harvesting capability:

• Chloroplast
o Most common type of plastid which is responsible for trapping light energy in chemical form
o Have outer and inner membrane, contain DNA, make their own proteins
o Contain green pigment → CHLOROPHYLL

Photosynthesis
• Takes place in the leaves → middle layer: “MESOPHYLL”
▪ Contains tiny openings where gases enter and exit the leaves
▪ Mesophyll cell: contains the Chloroplast
• STROMA
o Space in the inner membrane holds a thick fluid
• THYLAKOID
o Suspended within the stroma are tiny disc-shaped interconnected sacs
o Embedded on the surface of thylakoids: Chlorophyll
o Granum → thylakoid stacked up together
o Photosystem → light-absorbing molecules embedded within the thylakoid membrane

2 STAGES:
• Light dependent stage
o Occurs in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast
o Where the chlorophyll pigment absorbs the light energy together with water
o OXYGEN – release as by-product
• Light -independent stage
o Also known as CALVIN CYCLE
o Occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast
STAGE I: LIGHT DEPENDENT

Chemical Reaction:
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Light Energy

• Sun emits energy (light/solar energy: visible light→spectrum/ROYGBIV) → CHEMICAL ENERGY

Lights absorbs by chlorophyll:
• Chlorophyll a → green pigment
• Chlorophyll b → carotenoids pigment (red,orange, and yellow pigment)
• Photosystem – group of pigments and proteins where reaction begins
o light-absorbing molecules embedded within the thylakoid membrane
o 2 types:
▪ Photosystem I (PSI)
▪ Photosystem II (PSII)
>Both photosystems contain special pair of chlorophyll molecules found at the core (reaction
center) of the photosystem.
• P700 – special pair of PSI
o Because electrons have lost energy prior to their arrival at PSI, they must be
re-energized through absorption of another photon.
• P680 – special pair of PSII
o Absorbs the energy (electron) → enters an excited

1. Photon (packet of light) enters Photosystem II → energizes its electrons

a. Light absorbed by PSII
b. Energy is transferred to P680 (boosting an electron to high energy level)
c. High energy electron is replaced by electron from water
2. PSII transfers the free electrons along a series of proteins (ETC)
3. Energy from the electrons fuels membrane pumps → H ions against concentration gradient from stroma to
thylakoid space
4. As electrons from ETC reach PSI → re-excited again by another photon (light energy)
5. Energy carried by these electron fuels the formation of NADPH (from NADP and H ions)
6. Build up of H ions allows potential energy to be harvested (ATP)

• Chemiosmosis – movement of H ions through ATP synthase

• Replacement of electron will come from splitting of water molecules (H2+O)
• O2 – release in environment as by-product (what we breathe)
STAGE II: LIGHT-DEPENDENT/ CALVIN CYCLE

• It consist of reactions that use the energy stored and carried in the light-dependent reaction to build
GLUCOSE.
• CO2 enters the chloroplast → diffuses to STROMA

1. Carbon fixation
RuBisCO (ribulose-1, 5-biphosphate carboxylase)
-enzyme that catalyzes the reaction and combines CO2 and RuBP (ribulose-1,5-biphosphate), a 5 carbon
sugar molecule.

6 carbon molecule splits into 2 three carbon molecules: (3-PGA) (3-PGA)

2. Reduction phase
-organic molecule is further modified into simple sugar: G3P

3-PGA is converted into G3P (using ATP and NADPH – energy from light reactions)

3. Carbohydrate formation
Some molecules of G3P → combined to form 6 carbon sugars, GLUCOSE (C6H12O6)

4. Regeneration Phase
-remaining G3P are used to generate the original organic molecule with energy from ATP
G3P + ATP = RuBP
Cycles begin again