11. Photosynthesis Flashcards
What is the site of photosynthesis
- leaf (organ)
- chloroplast (organelle)
What 3 substances is the leaf adapted for
- CO2
- water
- light
List adaptations of the leaf
- large SA (for light)
- thin (most light absorbed within first few micrometers, keeps diffusion distance shirt)
- long narrow upper mesophyll packed with chloroplasts that collects sunlight
- numerous stomata so all mesophyll cells are a short diffusion from one
- air spaces in lower mesophyll layer
Write the overall equation for photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O ——> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Name the three main stages of photosynthesis
- capturing of light energy
- light dependent reaction
- light independent reaction
What is light captured by
Chloroplast pigment such as chlorophyll
What occurs in the light dependent reaction
- in which some of the light energy is absorbed and conserved in chemical bonds
- electron flow is created by photolysis of water into protons, electrons and oxygen
- products are NADPH ATP and oxygen
What occurs in the light independent reaction
-protons (hydrogen ions) are used to produce sugars and other organic molecules
Where does the light dependent reaction take place
The grana on structures called thylakoids
Where does the light independent reaction take place
The stroma
What is the grana
- stacks of thylakoids
- where LDR takes place
- thylakoids contain chlorophyll
- some have inter-granal lamellae that are tubular extensions that join up with thylakoids in adjacent grana
What is the stroma
- fluid filled matrix
- light independent stage of photosynthesis takes place
- in stroma there are another series of structures such as starch grains
What two purposes does the capture of light energy have un the LDR
- to add an inorganic phosphate (Pi) molecule to ADP, producing ATP
- to split water into H+ ions (protons) and OH- ions (photolysis)
What is the biological definition of oxidation
- when a substance
- gains oxygen
- loses hydrogen
What is the biological definition of reduction
- when a substance
- loses oxygen
- gains hydrogen
Describe photoionisation
- the ionisation of the chlorophyll molecule
- as a result of the electrons moving to an excited state
- caused by the light energy absorbed by the chlorophyll
- two electrons lost from Mg prosthetic group
If chlorophyll loses a pair of electrons it is said to be…
oxidised
What are the two electrons from photoionisation energy taken up by
electron carrier
What is the mechanism by which ATP is produced explained by
The chemiosmotic theory
Describe the steps in the LDR (up to chemiosmotic theory)
- chlorophyll absorbs light energy, causing the electrons to be promoted to an excited state, ionising the chlorophyll molecule. This is photoionisation.
- the electrons that leave the chlorophyll are taken up by an electron carrier
- the electrons pass down along a number of electron carriers in a series of oxidation reduction reactions that happens in the membranes of the thylakoids
- each new carrier is a slightly lower energy level than the previous so the electrons lose energy at each stage
- some of the energy released is conserved in the production of ATP (and indirectly NADPH)
- the replacement of electrons from the chlorophyll molecule is provided by the photolysis of water
- this can be explained by the chemiosmotic theory