Explain the mechanism of photosynthesis.
Download our app for free and get startedPlay store
Mechanism of Photosynthesis:
Photosynthesis is formation of organic food from carbon dioxide and water with the help of sunlight inside chlorophyll containing cells. Oxygen is produced as by-product.
$6\text{CO}_2+12\text{H}_2\text{O}\xrightarrow[\ \text{Sunlight}\ ]{\ \text{Chlorophyll}}\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6+6\text{H}_2\text{O}+6\text{O}_2\uparrow\\\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \text{Glucose}$
Oxygen comes from water. Hydrogen of water is used to reduce carbon dioxide to form carbohydrate.
$2\text{H}_2\text{O}\xrightarrow[\ \text{Chlorophyll}]{\ \text{light energy}\ }2\text{H}_2+\text{O}_2$
$\text{CO}_2+2\text{H}_2\xrightarrow{\ \text{energy}\ }[\text{CH}_2\text{O}]+\text{H}_2\text{O}\\\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \text{Carbohydrate}$
Actually, photosynthesis occurs in two steps, photochemical and biochemical.
  1. Photochemical Phase (Light or Hill Reaction): The reactions of this phase are driven by light energy. They are of two types- photolysis of water and formation of assimilatory power.
  1. Photolysis of Water. Light energy splits up water into its components. $Mn ^{2+}, CL$ and $Ca ^{2+}$ are required for this.
$2\text{H}_2\text{O}\xrightarrow[\ \text{Mn, Cl, Ca}\ ]{\ \ \text{light}\ \ }\text{O}_2+4\text{H}^{+}+4\text{e}^{-}$
  1. Formation of Assimilatory Power: Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll molecules is used in synthesis of ATP and NADPH.
Both ATP and $NADPH_2$ together form assimilatory power.
$\text{ADP}+\text{Pi}+\text{energy}\xrightarrow{\ \ \ \ }\text{ATP}$
$\text{NADP}^{+}+2\text{e}^{-}+2\text{H}^{+}\xrightarrow{\ \ \ \ }\text{NADPH}+\text{H}^{+}\ \ (\text{NADPH}_2)$
  1. Biosynthetic Phase (Dark or Blackman’s Reaction). It is actually light independent reaction which can occur both in light as well as in dark. It requires the energy and reducing power contained in assimilatory power of light reaction. Common pathway of biosynthetic phase is Calvin cycle. Carbon dioxide combines with ribulose bisphosphate in the presence of enzyme ribulose biphosphate carboxylase or rubisco. It produces two molecules of phosphoglyceric acid (PGA).
$\text{RuBP}+\text{CO}_2\xrightarrow{\ \text{rubisco}\ }2\text{PGA}$
  1.  In the presence of ATP, phosphoglyceric acid is reduced by $NADPH _2$ to form glyceraldehyde phosphate (GAP).
    $PGA+ATP+NADPH 2 \rightarrow GAP+NADP+ADP+Pi$
  1. A part of glyceraldehyde phosphate is changed into dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The two condense and form glucose. Ribulose biphosphate is regenerated to combine with carbon dioxide again. Glucose undergoes condensation to form reserve carbohydrate called starch.
  2. Other inorganic Raw Materials: Synthesis of carbohydrates during photosynthesis is a mechanism to form food materials for body building and releasing energy.

Plants also require a number of other inorganic raw materials or minerals from soil for building other, e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, sulphur, magnesium, etc. Nitrogen and sulphur are required for building proteins. Phosphorus is required for synthesis of nucleotides. Minerals are absorbed in the form of ions, e.g., $NO _2{ }^{-}$and $NH _4{ }^{+}$for nitrogen. Some bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into compounds of nitrogen. Parts of them become available to plants.
art

Download our app
and get started for free

Experience the future of education. Simply download our apps or reach out to us for more information. Let's shape the future of learning together!No signup needed.*

Similar Questions

  • 1
    The partially digested food coming from the stomach of a person enters a long and narrow organ A in his body. The organ A receives the secretion of two glands: liver and pancreas. Liver secretes a greenish - yellow liquid B which is normally stored in the organ C. Pancreas secretes pancreatic juice which contains three digestive enzymes D, E and F. The intestinal juice completes the process of digestion of food. The inner wall of organ A has millions of tiny finger - like projections G which help in the rapid absorption of digested food into blood stream. The undigested part of food then passes into wider tube H which absorbs most of the water from undigested food. The last part of tube H called I stores this undigested food (or waste) for some time. The undigested food is then passed out though opening J as faeces in the process known as K.
    1. Name the organ A.
    2. Name liquid B and organ C.
    3. What are the digestive enzymes D, E and F?
    4. Name the projections G present on the inner wall of organ A.
    5. Name Tube H, Part I, Opening J and Process K.
    View Solution
  • 2
    1. Draw a diagram of human alimentary canal and label on it: Oesophagus, Gallbladder, Liver and Pancreas.
    2. Explain the statement, ‘Bile does not contain any enzyme but it is essential for digestion.’
    View Solution
  • 3
    Platelets help in clotting of blood at injured side. Draw a flow diagram of this process.
    View Solution
  • 4
    Give the steps involved in photosynthesis.
    View Solution
  • 5
    Why do we need a proper transportation system in plants?
    View Solution
  • 6
    Describe the working of human blood circulatory system with the help of a suitable diagram which shows all the steps involved.
    View Solution
  • 7
    Draw a labelled diagram of the human digestive system. With the help of this diagram, describe the process of digestion of food in man (humans).
    View Solution
  • 8
    Draw a labelled diagram of the human respiratory system.
    View Solution
  • 9
    How is double circulation different from single circulation?
    View Solution
  • 10
    1. Name the organs that form the excretory system in human beings.
    2. Describe in brief how urine is produced in human body.
    View Solution