Photosynthesis: Independent Light Reaction and Dependent Light Reaction

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

 Photosynthesis come from the Greek word “photo” means light and synthesis means to
synthesize.
 Needs carbon dioxide, water and energy to manufacture to glucose- the building blocks of
plants.
 “Photons” are the smallest units of light; oscillate along the path (wavelength); particle nature
of light that was emitted from the sun
 Electromagnetic spectrum is the wide spectrum of wavelength.
 Photosynthetic organisms use only a small portion of electromagnetic spectrum called visible
light.
 Photosynthetic organisms contains pigments that facilitate the capture of wavelength. Plants
appear green because they reflect yellow and green wavelengths of light. Red and blue are
absorbed by these pigments and provide the energy that is used for photosynthesis.
 Photo autotrophs/Eukaryotic photosynthetic organism is the chemical reactions of
photosynthesis that occur within plant cells in specialized structures known.

Light Dependent Reaction

 The reaction that synthesize glucose, the Calvin cycle occur in the stroma.
 Occur in the thylakoid. Conversion of light energy to CE is initiated.
 Thylakoids contains pair of Photosystems that work in tandem to produce the energy that will
later be used in the stroma to manufacture sugars.
 The first photosystem is the network of accessory pigment molecules wherein within the pm the
absorbed light energy excites electrons to a higher state. Photosystem II is the chlorophyll
wherein the molecules absorb the photons of light.
 Photosystems will channel the excitation energy gathered by the pigment molecules to a
reaction center Chlorophyll molecule which then pass the electrons to a series of proteins
located in the thylakoid membrane.
  Light strikes PS1 and PS2 simultaneously.
 Energized electrons are passed from reaction center of PS2 to an electron transport chain.
 Photolysis – replaced the loss electron (process); involves the oxidation of a water molecule
producing free electrons and oxygen.
 One energy from the elctrons is used to pump hydrogen ions from the stroma to the thylakoid
creating a concentration gradient powers a protein called ATP synthase.

Light Independent Reaction

 Also known as ‘Calvin Cycle’ or ‘Dark Reaction’.

 Consists of series of reactions that reduce carbon dioxide to produce the carbohydrate
glyceraldehyde triphosphate (G3P).
 Following are the steps for light independent reaction:
1. Carbon Fixation – carbon dioxide is attached to Riboluse 1, 5 biphosphate (RuBP)
resulting in six-carbon molecule that splits into (2) 3-carbon molecules (3
phosphoglycerate [PGA])
2. Reduction – a sequence of reactions using electrons from NADPH and some of the ATP
to reduce carbon dioxide. [2ATP  2ADP  2NADPH  2NADP + 2Pi = G3P] RuBP is
generated. For every 3 turns of the cycle 5 molecules of G3P are used to reform 3
molecules of RuBP.
3. Regeneration of RuBP – The remaining G3P is then used to make glucose fatty acide or
glycerol. It takes 2 molecules of (G3P) to make one molecule of glucose. (Cycle has to
run 6x to produce one molecule of glucose) These molecules can remove their
phosphate and add fructose to form sucrose.