PHOTOSYNTHESIS PART I: THE SUN AND LIGHT

Not all of the light from the Sun makes it to the surface of the Earth. Even the light that does make it here is reflected and spread out. The little light that does make it here is enough for the plants of the world to survive and go through the process of photosynthesis. Light is actually energy, electromagnetic energy to be exact. When that energy gets to a green plant, all sorts of reactions can take place to store energy in the form of sugar molecules. Remember we said that not all the energy from the Sun makes it to plants? Even when light gets to a plant, the plant doesn't use all of it. It actually uses only certain colors to make photosynthesis happen. Plants mostly absorb red and blue wavelengths. When you see a color, it is actually a color that the object does NOT absorb. In the case of green plants, they do not absorb light from the green range.

PART II: THE CHLOROPLAST

We already spoke about the structure of chloroplasts in the cells tutorials. We want to reinforce that photosynthesis happens in the chloroplast. Within this cell organelle is the chlorophyll that captures the light from the Sun. We'll talk about it in a bit, but the chloroplasts are working night and day with different jobs. The molecules are moved and converted in the area called the stroma.

PART III: THE MOLECULES

Chlorophyll is the magic compound that can grab that sunlight and start the whole process. Chlorophyll is actually quite a varied compound. There are four (4) types: a, b, c, and d. Chlorophyll can also be found in many microorganisms and even some prokaryotic cells. However, as far as plants are concerned, the chlorophyll is found in the chloroplasts. The other big molecules are water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2) and glucose (C6H12O6). Carbon dioxide and water combine with light to create oxygen and glucose. That glucose is used in various forms by every creature on the planet. Animal cells require oxygen to survive. Animal cells need an aerobic environment (one with oxygen).

PART IV: LIGHT AND DARK REACTIONS The whole process doesn't happen all at one time. The process of photosynthesis is divided into two main parts. The first part is called the light dependent reaction. This reaction happens

when the light energy is captured and pushed into a chemical called ATP. The second part of the process happens when the ATP is used to make glucose (the Calvin Cycle). That second part is called the light independent reaction. METABOLISM
Metabolism is such a big word to explain a simple idea. We all need energy to survive. Plants, animals, or bacteria, we all need energy. Energy doesn't just float around in a form we can use to survive. We need to eat (mainly sugars) and digest food. That process of chemical digestion and its related reactions is called metabolism. Metabolism is the total of all of the chemical reactions an organism needs to survive. Sounds a lot like biology. Why's it here in biochemistry? Two main chemical processes make our world go round. There are two simple chemical reactions. The first is called glycolysis. That's the breakdown of sugars. The second process is called photosynthesis. That is the reaction that builds sugars. You need to remember that the overall metabolism of an organism includes thousands of chemical reactions. Glycolysis and photosynthesis are the cornerstones to life.

BUILDING UP
First, you need to build up the molecules that store energy. We'll start with photosynthesis. It's no use explaining the breakdown of sugars without telling you how they were made. LIGHT (Energy) + CO2 + H2O --> C6H12O6 + O2 This is the reaction that only plants can do (and some algae/bacteria). They take sunlight and combine carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). They create Glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen gas (O2). Remember, plants put the energy in glucose.

BREAKING DOWN
It's metabolism and the process of glycolysis that takes that energy out of the sugar related molecules. C6H12O6 + O2--> Usable Energy (ATP) + CO2 + H2O Cells then use that extra energy to power the functions of the cell. The energy isn't still floating around; it's stored in an excitable compound called adenosine

triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the power molecule used all over organisms and their cells to power the secondary reactions that keep us alive.

ENZYMES MAKE THE WORLD GO 'ROUND

On Chem4Kids, we often talk about reactions and the molecules that change in those reactions. Those changes don't happen on their own. If you leave a blob of protein in a Petri dish, will it just break down to the amino acids? No. What will do it? Enzymes! Enzymes are the biological substance (proteins) that act as catalysts and help complex reactions occur everywhere in life.

LOCKS AND KEYS

When you go home at night and the door is locked, can it open itself? Nope. You need a key that is just the right shape to fit in that lock. Otherwise, you're stuck in the cold. Enzymes work in a similar way (locks and keys). Enzymes complete very specific jobs and do nothing else. They are very specific locks and the compounds they work with are the special keys. In the same way there are door keys, car keys, and bike-lock keys, there are enzymes for neural cells, intestinal cells, and your saliva. Here's the deal: there are four steps in the process of an enzyme working. 1. An enzyme and a substrate are in the same area. The substrate is the biological molecule that the enzyme will attack. 2. The enzyme grabs onto the substrate with a special area called the active site The active site is a specially shaped area of the enzyme that fits around the substrate. The active site is the keyhole of the lock. 3. A process called catalysis happens. Catalysis is when the substrate is changed. It could be broken down or combined with another molecule to make something new. 4. The enzyme lets go. Big idea. When the enzyme lets go, it returns to normal, ready to do another reaction. The substrate is no longer the same. The substrate is now called the product.

CAN YOU STOP THEM?

Good question! We know what you're thinking. What if enzymes just kept going and converted every molecule in the world? They would never stop... like a monster! There are many factors that can regulate enzyme activity, including temperature, activators, pH levels, and inhibitors.

Photosynthesis
Plants receive light energy through small pores on their leaves called stomata and convert it in the organelles called chloroplasts, located in the plant cells in the leaves and green stems. Organelles are specialized parts of a cell that function
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in an organ-like fashion. The energy is used in this process to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates such as glucose and molecular oxygen. Photosynthesis is a two-part metabolic process. The two pathways are the energyfixing reaction and the carbon-fixing reaction. The first produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleaotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH) molecules. Both molecules contain energy and are used in the carbonfixing reaction to form glucose.
Molecular production Light to chemical energy The light energy is converted to chemical energy using the lightdependent reactions. The products of the light dependent reactions are ATP from photophosphorylation and NADPH from photoreduction. Both are then utilized as an energy source for the light-independent reactions. Z scheme In plants, the light-dependent reactions occur in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplasts and use light energy to synthesize ATP and NADPH. The photons are captured in the antenna complexes of photosystem I and II by chlorophyll and accessory pigments (see diagram at right). When a chorophyll a molecule at a photosystem's reaction center absorbs energy, an electron is excited and transferred to an electron-acceptor molecule through a process called Photoinduced charge separation. These electrons are shuttled through an electron transport chain that initially functions to generate a chemiosmotic potential across the membrane, the so called Z-scheme shown in the diagram. An ATP synthase enzyme uses the chemiosmotic potential to make ATP during photophosphorylation while NADPH is a product of the terminal redox reaction in the Z-scheme. Water photolysis The NADPH is the main reducing agent in chloroplasts, providing a source of energetic electrons to other reactions. Its production leaves chlorophyll with a deficit of electrons (oxidized), which must be obtained from some other reducing agent. The excited electrons lost from chlorophyll in photosystem I are replaced from the electron transport chain by plastocyanin. However, since photosystem II includes the first steps of the Z-scheme, an external source of electrons is required to reduce its oxidized chlorophyll a molecules. This role is played by water during a reaction known as photolysis and results in water being split to give electrons, oxygen and hydrogen ions. Photosystem II is the only known biological enzyme that carries out this oxidation of water. Initially, the hydrogen ions from photolysis contribute to the chemiosmotic potential but eventually they combine with the hydrogen carrier molecule NADP+ to form NADPH. Oxygen is a

waste product of photosynthesis but it has a vital role for all organisms that use it for cellular respiration. Oxygen and photosynthesis With respect to oxygen and photosynthesis, there are two important concepts. Plant and algal cells also use oxygen for cellular respiration, although they have a net output of oxygen since much more is produced during photosynthesis. Oxygen is a product of the photolysis reaction not the fixation of carbon dioxide during the lightindependent reactions. Consequently, the source of oxygen during photosynthesis is water, NOT carbon dioxide.