Photosynthesis can be defined as the process by which plants, autotrophic protests, and some bacteria use light energy to make sugars and other organic food molecules from carbon dioxide and water (Campbell, Reece G-9). Plants use photosynthesis to create millions of glucose molecules a second, which in turn creates energy to build leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. They also convert glucose to cellulose, the structural material used in their cell walls. Most plants produce more glucose than they use, however, and they store it in the form of starch and other carbohydrates in roots, stems, and leaves. The plants can then draw on these reserves for extra energy if needed (Photosyn.basics.n.pag.). All of this happens within two phases, the light phase and the Calvin cycle.

The history and the discovery of photos

The Calvin cycle is what actually produces the sugar for the plant. It uses the ATP and NADPH produced by the light phase for the production of sugar. What makes the Calvin cycle operate is the ATP, NADPH, and CO2. The energy from CO2, ATP, and NADPH create a sugar molecule that is not glucose, but glyceraldehydes 3-phosphate. However the plant in turn uses this to make the glucose and other molecules it needs. The molecular equation that photosynthesis is derived from is 6CO2+6H2O yields C6H12O6+6O2, in simpler terms carbon dioxide plus water yields glucose and oxygen gas (Campbell, Reece 112).

ynthesis is rather interesting. Beginning in the 1770’s Joseph Priestley, an English chemist, performed experiments showing that plants release a type of air that allows combustion. He demonstrated this by burning a candle in a closed container until it went out. He placed a stem of mint in the container and after several days showed that the candle could burn again. Priestley’s work showed that plants release oxygen into the atmosphere. Discovering how plants produce oxygen is one of the most active areas of photosynthesis research today. Building on the work of Priestley, Jan Ingenhousz, a Dutch physician, demonstrated that sunl

Some topics in this essay:
Whitmarsh Govindjee, Campbell Reece, G-9 Plants, ATP NADPH, Priestley English, Mayer German, Ingenhousz Dutch, , Senebier Swiss, Saussure Swiss, light phase, light energy, campbell reece, atp nadph, calvin cycle, carbon dioxide, reaction center, photosynthetic organisms, plants release, plants release oxygen, phases light, whitmarsh govindjee npag, phase calvin cycle, phases light phase, reaction center chlorophyll,