Chapter 7 - Photosynthesis Flashcards
What is photosynthesis?
light energy converted into useable form of chemical energy
What is the energy of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum?
light
Why do our eyes view different colors?
protons move in waves of different length
What region can our eyes see?
“visible region/light region”
What are photons?
light energy particles
What is the significance of photon wavelength?
different wavelengths = different energies
What are the properties of light?
- Light begins as a wave
- Distance between peaks of two consecutive waves in measured as wavelength
- Colors of light and their properties
- ->inverse relationship between wavelength and energy - Three fates of light
- ->reflection, absorption, transmission
What is absorption?
light energy retained by pigment molecules
*only type for photosynthesis
What is reflection?
light energy not retained by pigment molecules so it bounces back for us to see
What is transmission?
light energy not absorbed by object but passes through it
What are pigments?
molecules that absorb light energy
What is Chlorophyll A?
green pigment
most important in photosynthesis
What is Chlorophyll B?
accessory pigment
passes off light to Chlorophyll A
What do the peaks of wavelengths signify?
places where absorption is happening the best
What are accessory pigment’s jobs?
to absorb light that Chlorophyll A can’t absorb
ex. carotine
What is the Absorption/Action Spectrum?
what drives photosynthesis the best or the least
What does color represent?
the photons that are not absorbed and can be detected by our eyes
What is a chloroplast?
site of photosynthesis, double-membrane consisting of granum, thylakoid membrane, an ribosomes
What are the steps of the photosynthesis process?
- Photo-reaction
2. Synthesis-reaction
What happens in the photo-reaction?
- with light present
- chlorophyll pigments within internal chloroplast membranes absorb photons. Chlorophyll electrons become excited and begin reactions that create ATP
- split H2O molecules release electrons that replace electrons lost by excited chlorophyll molecules (must always replace)
What happens in the synthesis-reaction?
- can occur in dark
- energy from breakdown of ATP (kinetic energy) is used in carbon reactions to fix carbon dioxide into organic sugar molecules (form of stored or potential chemical energy)
What is glucose?
carbohydrate product, contains chemical energy converted from sunlight and fixed carbon from atmospheric CO2
What is excess glucose stored as?
starch (complex carbohydrate/polymer) –> gets sent to use during cellular respiration (breakdown of glucose into ATP)
How is energy conserved in photosynthesis?
converted from kinetic to potential and some heat is released into environment
