Photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis is a process that takes place in the leaves and more specifically in the subcellular structures called chloroplasts.
• Chlorophyll is a pigment that can absorb light, which it uses to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
• Chlorophyll is a pigment that can absorb light, which it uses to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
• The reaction requires light energy for it to take place, hence it is an endothermic reaction.
• Energy is transferred from the environment to chloroplasts by light.
• Glucose can also combine with other glucose molecules to make starch, a complex carbohydrate that is more compact and insoluble, making it a better form of glucose for long-term storage.
• Photosynthesis is a process that takes place in the leaves and more specifically in the subcellular structures called chloroplasts.
• The equation for photosynthesis can be written as: Six CO2 molecules combine with six H2O molecules to make a single molecule of glucose, resulting in six O2 molecules.
• Glucose can be combined with other glucose molecules to make cellulose, a complex carbohydrate that plants use to strengthen their cell walls.
• Plant cells try to keep a good store of starch so that they can break it down to glucose later, for example, during the night or in the winter.
• The carbon dioxide diffuses into the leaves through the stomata and the water is taken up from the soil by the roots and then transported to the leaves via the xylem.
• The only product that the plants really want is the glucose, which they use for various purposes such as solar respiration, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration.
• Plants can also use glucose to make amino acids by combining it with nitrate ions, which they get from the soil, and then combine these amino acids to make proteins.
• Plants can also use glucose to make oils and fats, which can be stored as a future energy resource, particularly for seeds.
• The growth rate of plants is often dependent on how fast they can photosynthesize, hence the factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis are light intensity, temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, and the amount of chlorophyll.