4:3b Photosynthsis Flashcards
Define photosynthesis
The process by which chlorophyll traps light and energy and converts it into chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates.
Equation for photosynthesis?
Energy + 6CO2 +6 H2O > 6O2 C6H12O6
What are the two phases of photosynthesis?
Light-dependent phase
Light-independent phase
Describe chloroplast structure
- thylakoid membranes (where chlorophyll is found): looks like distinct discs and stacks, highly folded to surround a single continuous compartment known as the thylakoid lumen.
- stroma: a dense fluid within chloroplasts that surrounds thylakoids. Contains important enzymes involved in reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates
Where is the chloroplasts found?
The palisade mesophyll and the spongy mesophyll
What is the stroma of a chloroplast
Enzymes that catalyze CO2 fixation and starch synthesis
What is the thylakoid membrane in chloroplasts
Absorption of light by chlorophyll, synthesis of ATP, NADPH and electron transport.
What is a stack of thylakoid membrane called?
Granum (plural: grana)
What happens to electrons in the photosynthetic pigment (in the chlorophyll)
An electron absorbs light energy, is excited to a higher energy state. The energy is the released in other forms and the electron returns to ground state.
Light energy > potential chemical energy
What is a photo system made of?
A protein complex called a reaction-center complex surrounded by several light-harvesting complexes.
What happens in a photosystem?
When a pigment molecule absorbs a photon the energy is transferred from pigment molecule to pigment molecule within a light harvesting complex until it is passed into the reaction center complex.
The reaction center complex contains a molecule capable of accepting electrons and reduction, and is the primary electron acceptor.
