Welcome to my page on Photosynthetic Electron Transport and Cell Respiration

 

Photosynthetic Electron Transport (photosynthesis) is the process by which organisms use the energy of light to produce food. Photosynthesis is Greek for "to put together using light"

Photosynthesis has three stages:

  1. The first stage is when the chloroplast in the plant captures energy from light.

    Specificly:
    The major light absorbing pigment in plantsis chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is found in chloroplasts , which are found in plant's cells. When protons of light strike the surface of the chloroplasts, electrons are exited to higher levels of energy within chlorophyll molecules. Each exited electron, traveling as a part of a hydrogen atom, leaves the chlorophyll and jumps to a nearby protein in membrane of thykaloid. The electron is passed from protein to protein. When the hydrogen atom reaches it's destination, a proton pump, the pump knocks the electron's energy level back down to it's original level. This process releases the energy the electron gained when it got exited. This energy powers the pumping of a proton across the thykaloid membrane into the interior of the thykaloid. ATP is made when protons are forced through a protein channel. More protons are pumped into the thykaloid until it is full. Wanting to escape, the protons are driven by diffusion through the only exit available, a protein channel. These protein channels use the force of the exited protons to add a phosphate group to a molecule of ADP, making ATP. A second kind of chlorophyll absorbs photons of higher energy than those absorbed by the ATP making chlorophyll. The light exited electrons of this second chlorophyll are carried by a hydrogen atom and attached to an electron carrier called NADP, forming NADPH. The ATP and NADPH will be used to help power the last stage of photosynthesis, the building of carbohydrates.

     

  2. The second stage is when the energy is used to produce ATP and NADPH.

     

  3. The third stage is when ATP is changed into ADP by removing phosphate ion. The energy made from the release of the phosphate ion is used along with the hydrogen molecule from the NADPH to make sugar. The reaction releases oxygen.

The formula for creating glucose is:

6CO2+6H2O+light ------> C6H12O6+6O2

 

Respiration

Respiration is the process in which Oxygen and Glucose is made into Carbon Dioxide, Water, and ATP. It takes place in the mitochondria of a cell.

The chemical formula for this is:

O2 + C6H12O6 -------> CO2 + H2O + ATP

Once this process has occurred, the products CO2 and H2O go into the cycle of Photosynthesis.
Then, these are used in turn to make glucose, some of which goes back to the cycle of Respiration,
and the rest goes into the plant tissue. In this way, these two processes are
interlinked and dependent on each other. Finally, the ATP is used by the plant to live and grow. The two organelles, mitochondria and chlorophyll are similar because they both take in compounds and let out energy along with other gasses and compounds that can be broken apart or used in ways that make energy.

For more info on photosynthesis, respirstion, and some info on decomposition click HERE

Want to find out how plants and animals us the products of photosynthesis and respiration? Click here ---->Here