Photosynthesis Flashcards
Pigment that makes leaves green, absorbs light principally in the violet and the blue wavelengths and also in the red, and reflects green light
Chlorophyll
Process involving conversion of the energy present in sunlight to energy present in organic molecules
Photosynthesis
Primary photosynthetic pigment that comprises about 75% of the total chlorophyll in most plants.
It is also found in all photosynthetic eukaryotes and blue-green algae.
Chlorophyll a
Difference between chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b structure.
Chlorophyll b has -CHO group in place of the -CH3 group of chlorophyll a
Accessory pigment that transfers energy to chlorophyll a during photosynthesis; accounts for 25% of the total chlorophyll
Chlorophyll b
Accessory pigment that replaces chl b in some algae, specifically brown algae
Chlorophyll c
Accessory pigments that are not chlorophyll:
Carotenoids (Carotenes and xanthophylls)
Phycobilins
2 major process of photosynthesis
Light reactions and carbon fixation reactions
Light reactions happen where?
Thylakoid membrane
Carbon fixation happens where?
Stroma
What happens during light reactions?
- Energy from sunlight is converted to electron flow
- oxygen is released as a byproduct
- products are ATP and NADPH
- comprise of 2 photosystems
Light harvesting components of the photosystems. It has pigment molecules that gather light energy and “funnel” it to the reaction center
Antennae complex
Photosystems consist of:
Antennae complexes
Reaction center chlorophylls
electron transport proteins
Special chlorophyll a molecules of the rxn center in Photosystem I
P700
Special chlorophyll a molecules of the rxn center in Photosystem II
P680
What happens in photosystem II?
- Light energy (2 photons) enters PII and is trapped by pigment molecules and passed to P680 of rxn center.
- Energized electrons are transferred from P680 to an electron acceptor.
- As the electrons are removed from P680, they are replaced by low-energy e- from water molecules and oxygen is produced (photolysis)
- Pairs of electrons pass down downhill to photosystem I along ETC
Factors that contribute to protomotive force
Concentration gradient and charge separation
Potential energy that contributes to the production of ATP via the ATP synthase using the proton gradient
Protomotive force
Function is to split water (which contributes to the proton gradient) and it also steals 2 electrons, which then are donated to rxn center to replace the electrons lost;
Essential cofactor is manganese
Oxygen evolving complex
Which part of PII pumps protons across the membrane, generating the proton gradient?
Cytochrome b/f
What happens in photosystem I?
- Light energy is absorbed and passed to P700 of the reaction center.
- The energized electrons are accepted by coenzyme NADP+, and electrons removed from P700 are replaced by electrons from photosystem II
- Passing of electrons down carriers reduces NADP+ to NADPH
Unidirectional flow of electrons from water to NADP+
Noncyclic electron flow
What does linear electron transport produces?
1 ATP and 1 NADPH
What does cyclical electron transport/flow generates?
Only ATP