Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is a set of biochemical reactions in which carbon dioxide and water react to form carbohydrates and oxygen gas.

Photosynthesis is an anabolic process.

Photosynthesis uses the energy of sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates, which are the major output of the process.

Photosynthesis is a redox reaction.

Reduction reactions are chemical reactions in which molecules gain electrons and energy.

Oxidation reactions are chemical reactions in which molecules lose electrons and energy.

Oxidation and reduction reactions always occur together in a set of coupled reactions.

In photosynthesis, water is oxidized, releasing oxygen, and carbon dioxide is reduced, forming carbohydrates.

Photosynthesis consists of two sets of reactions.

The light reactions begin with the absorption of light energy by the pigment chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll hands off electrons to the photosynthetic electron transport chain, which consists of a series of protein complexes located in the thylakoid membrane.

The photosynthetic electron transport chain receives electrons from water, which is oxidized to oxygen gas, and donates them to NADP+, which is reduced to NADPH.

The energy released by the photosynthetic electron transport chain is also used to synthesize ATP.

The Calvin cycle is a set of reactions in which carbon dioxide is reduced to form carbohydrates, using the ATP and NADPH synthesized in the light reactions.

The Calvin cycle takes place in the stroma of the chloroplast.