What is the formula for photosynthesis?

In: Botany or Plant Biology, Photosynthesis

Answer: Listing all reactants and products, photosynthesis can be described as: 6 CO2 + 12 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O But because water is both a reactant and a product, the equation can be simplified accounting for net water consumption, which is: 6 CO2+ 6 H2O C6H12O6+ 6 O2 Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy Glucose + Oxygen

Photosynthesis is a lot more complicated than the simplified diagram above. Actually, photosynthesis doesn't actually produce glucose; rather, it produces a 3-carbon compound which is a precursor to glucose. In addition, there are a couple different chemical pathways that plants utilize in different situations (see C3, C4, and CAM plants). In autotrophs, there are organelles within each plant cell called chloroplasts. Chlorophyll is a protein associated with a metal (magnesium). Chlorophyll absorbs energy (photons) from the sun and combines ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) with a phosphate group to form ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) in a process called phosphorylation. ADP + Phosphate + energy ATP This ATP has more energy than ADP. This extra energy is used by a number of other enzymes which build glucose molecules (C6H12O6 above) via the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis.