Make Entry -- Become an Editor -- Most Popular: (10, 25, 50, 75, 100)

   Help

Plant Photosynthesis

In plant photosynthesis, a chemical reaction triggered by solar energy involves the reduction of carbon dioxide through water to create a carbohydrate and release oxygen. The process also fixes energy in ATP and NADPH.

Photosynthesis in plants is generally described with the following equation:

n CO2 + 2n H2O + light energy → (CH2O)n + n O2 + n H2O

Since most products of photosynthesis are hexose sugars, the n is generally replaced with a 6. Carbohydrates produced build cellulose, precursors for lipid and amino acid biosynthesis, or as fuel in cellular respiration, a process that reverses the above process.

Plants capture sunlight using chlorophyll, which uses all wavelengths of sunlight except for green. Chlorophyll may be aided and abetted by pigments like carotenoids and xanthophylls, depending on the plant. All pigments are contained in organelles called chloroplasts. Every cell in the green parts of plants contains chloroplasts, but the wide, thin surface area makes the chloroplasts in leaves the most effective.

Web Resources On Plant Photosynthesis

Biology of Plants
Photosynthesis

Book Resources On Plant Photosynthesis

Harvesting the Sun Photosynthesis in Plant Life by Anthony San Pietro (Editor)
Perspectives in Biochemical and Genetic Regulation of Photosynthesis by Zelitch & Allen

Site Maps: Most Recent | Clusters | Browse
New: Graduate Student Job Opportunity