LAB HOMEWORK HANDOUT.

Photosynthesis

Introduction:

What is the purpose of today’s experiment?

What organelle is responsible for photosynthesis?

In plants, photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts, which contain the chlorophyll.

Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane and contain a third inner membrane, called
the thylakoid membrane, that forms long folds within the organelle.
Write down the reaction formula for photosynthesis. Label the reactants and products.

6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2.

This means that the reactants, six carbon dioxide molecules and six water molecules, are
converted by light energy captured by chlorophyll (implied by the arrow) into a sugar molecule
and six oxygen molecules, the products
What is a photon?

a particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A photon carries

energy proportional to the radiation frequency but has zero rest mass.
What is a pigment?

a substance occurring in plant or animal tissue and producing a characteristic colour, such as
chlorophyll in green plants and haemoglobin in red blood. any substance used to impart colour
What are the 3 pigments plants use to perform photosynthesis?

The set of wavelengths absorbed by a pigment is its absorption spectrum. In the diagram below,
you can see the absorption spectra of three key pigments in photosynthesis: chlorophyll a,
chlorophyll b, and β-carotene.

In the table below, list the wavelengths of light that are absorbed and reflected by each pigment as
well as what color the pigment would look like to you.

Pigment Absorbed Reflected Color as it

appears
RESULTS: Be sure to list the results you obtained for each experiment. List the results by experiment:
EXP: 1, EXP: 2, etc. You can print the results and past them onto this section. Use charts, tables, graphs
where appropriate.

Conclusion: What did you learn in this experiment? Explain what your results mean. How does this add
to the existing body of knowledge? Does it prove something to be true or does it prove something to be
untrue? Explain using the results you obtained from your experiments. List the conclusions by
experiment: EXP: 1, EXP: 2, etc AND as a whole for the entire lab.