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Chloroplasts In Biology

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10.1 Photosynthesis converts light energy to the chemical energy of food
1st photosynthetic organisms may have been bacteria with clusters of photosynthetic enzymes and other molecules embedded in infoldings of plasma membrane
Chloroplasts: the site of photosynthesis in plants
Chloroplasts, found mainly in mesophyll tissue of leaf, contain chlorophyll - green pigment that absorbs light energy that drives photosynthesis
CO2 enters and O2 exits leaf through stomata
Veins carry water from roots to leaves and distribute sugar to nonphotosynthetic tissue
A chloroplast consists of double membrane surrounding dense fluid called stroma and an elaborate membrane system called thylakoids, enclosing thylakoid space
Thylakoids sac may be stacked to form …show more content…

Simplest equation is CO2 + H2O → [CH2O] + O2
Photosynthesis is a redox process like respiration but differs in the direction of electron flow
The electrons increase their potential energy when they travel from H2O to reduce CO2 into sugar, and light provides energy for this endergonic process
The 2 stages of photosynthesis: a review
Solar energy is converted into chemical energy in light reactions
Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll drives transfer of electrons and hydrogen ions from H2O to electron acceptor NADP+, which is reduced to NADPH and temporarily stores electrons
O2 is released when H2O is split
ATP is formed during light reactions, using chemiosmosis in photophosphorylation
In Calvin cycle, CO2 is incorporated into existing organic compounds by carbon fixation, and these compounds are then reduced to form carbohydrate
NADPH and ATP from light reactions supply reducing power and chemical energy needed for Calvin …show more content…

In redox reaction, an excited electron of a reaction-center chlorophyll a is trapped by primary electron acceptor before it can return to ground state
There are 2types of photosystems in thylakoid membrane
Chlorophyll a molecule at reaction center of photosystem II (PSII) is called p680, after wavelength of light (680 nm) it absorbs best
At reaction center of’ photosystem I (PSI) is a chlorophyll a molecule called P700
Linear electron flow
Through sequence called linear electron flow, electrons pass through 2 photosystems from O2 to NADP+
A pigment molecule absorbs a photon light and passes energy through a light-harvesting complex to P680 pair of chlorophyll a molecules in PS II reaction center complex
An excited electron of P680 is trapped by primary electron acceptor
P680+ is strong oxidizing agent, and its electron hole is filled when an enzyme removes electrons from H2O, splitting it into 2 electrons, 2 H+ and an O2 atom that immediately combines with another O2 to form O2
Primary electron acceptor passes photoexcited electron to an electron transport chain made up of plastoquinone (Pq), a cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin (Pc)
Energy released as electrons “fall” through the electron transport chain pumps protons build a proton gradient used for synthesis of

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