Photosynthesis

• Takes place in the chloroplast

• Makes cellular food – glucose
 Photosynthesis
• A process by which certain living plant
cells combine carbon dioxide and
water, in the presence of chlorophyll
and light energy, to form carbohydrates
and release oxygen as the waste
product
 Light reactions - Photolysis
• Occurs in thylakoids found in chloroplasts.
It can summarized as follows:
1) Light energy strikes chlorophyll bodies
and electrons are excited.
2) Electrons NADP and H join together to
form NADPH in the electron transport
chain.
 Photolysis
3) Light hits a second chlorophyll
molecule and splits water molecule into
hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is
released into the atmosphere and
hydrogen ions are added.
4) More H is carried by the electron
transport chain.
5) Energy is generated for the formation of
ATP. The results in the light reaction are the
following:
a) Production of ATP, a high-energy
molecule, and NADPH for use in the
dark-reaction phase; and
b) Production of oxygen which is released
into the atmosphere.
 Calvin-Benson Cycle
• Melvin Calvin and Andrew Benson
• Occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast
• Carbon dioxide combines with ribulose
diphosphate(RuDP)
• 6 carbon sugar (very unstable)
• Splits into 2 molecules of phospoglyceric
acid (PGA, 3-C compound)
 Calvin-Benson Cycle
• Combines with 2H from NADPH
• Water is released as a by-product
• PGAL ( phosphoglyceraldehyde is formed
from : on PGA molecule combining with
phosphate group supplied by ATP and
another PGA molecule reacting with
hydrogen from a molecule of NADPH
• PGAL may be converted into many other
organic compounds aside from glucose