In the chloroplast, light reactions first take place when a pigment absorbs a photon that

excites electrons in Photosystem II until it reaches the P680 and excites its electron pair. The
excited electron pair transfers to the primary electron acceptor (Pheophytin), and will follow
through the electron transport chain.

Because there is a missing pair of electrons in P680, water is split into 2 hydrogen ions,
2 electrons, and an oxygen atom, so that the 2 electrons of water will replace the missing pair of
P680. Oxygen will bind with another oxygen atom to form O2, which is released as a byproduct.

The electron that left PSII will pass through plastoquinone reducing the PQ, and transfer
to the cytochrome complex, which uses the energy to pump hydrogen ions to the thylakoid
space. It then travels to the plastocyanin before reaching the Photosystem I.

Meanwhile, leftover hydrogen ions stay in the thylakoid space, as the passing of
electrons through the electron transport chain generates energy to pump more hydrogen ions
into the thylakoid space. The concentration of hydrogen ions in the thylakoid space is eased by
diffusion through a channel in the ATP Synthase, which uses the potential energy of the
concentration gradient to add a phosphate to ADP, forming ATP.

Photosystem I absorbs more light energy, exciting the electrons from Photosystem II out
of Photosystem I’s P700. The electrons would go through ferredoxin (FD), while another
electron pair from PSII replenishes lost electrons from P700. An enzyme called NADP+
reductase catalyzes the movement of electrons from Fd to NADP+, where the addition of
electrons and a hydrogen ion reduces NADP+ to NADPH.