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MODULE 9: Photosynthesis - the chemical reaction that

sustains life

Photosynthesis - a chemical reaction

Reactants and products
 All living organisms require energy to survive and perform their life processes.

M – Movement (Change in position, orientation or place)

R – Respiration (The breakdown of food to release energy)

S – Sensitivity (The ability to detect and react to the changes in the

environment)

G – Growth (Increase in size, strength, and maturity)

R – Reproduction (The production of more organisms)

E – Excretion (The removal of waste from the body)

N – Nutrition (The need for food)

 Some organisms obtain this energy directly from the sun (autotrophs), and others
obtain it from the food they eat (heterotrophs).

 Plants are autotrophic. They use radiant energy from the sun to produce their
own nutrition through the process of photosynthesis.

 ‘Photo’ means light, and ‘synthesis’ means to create or form a connected whole.
This means that plants create their own nutrition using light.

 More scientific definition for photosynthesis. It is a chemical process

whereby glucose is produced using radiant energy.

 Various chemical reactions are constantly occurring in your body and in the bodies
of all living organisms. These metabolic reactions keep organisms alive and are
controlled by enzymes.

 Anabolic reactions involve the formation of a substance, while catabolic reactions

involve the breaking down of a substance.
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Metabolic pathways.

 Photosynthesis is an anabolic reaction as it involves the formation of glucose.

 Equation for photosynthesis? It involves water, oxygen, glucose and carbon dioxide.

 The reactants needed for photosynthesis are water and carbon dioxide.

 Vascular plants absorb water from the soil through their roots. This
is transported around the plants, to the leaves, and through the xylem vessels.

 Plants obtain carbon dioxide through the stomata on their leaves, where gas
exchange occurs.

 The water and carbon dioxide react, forming the products of photosynthesis –
oxygen and glucose.

 Oxygen is a waste product and is released from the plant through the stomata.
The glucose is used by the plant for cellular respiration.

Photosynthesis
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 This chemical reaction cannot occur on its own. It is an endothermic reaction,

meaning it needs added energy to occur.

 This energy is radiant energy from the sun. Plants use a green pigment called
chlorophyll, to capture and harness this radiant energy. Certain enzymes are also
required for the process to occur.

The word and formula equations of photosynthesis.

Chloroplasts
 For photosynthesis to occur, chlorophyll MUST be present.

 Plants contain organelles called plastids.

 Plastids that contain chlorophyll are called chloroplasts.

 Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane. The outer membrane is semi-

permeable, while the inner membrane is studded with transport proteins to
facilitate the movement of substances into and out of the organelle.
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 Within the organelle, we find stacks of disc-shaped compartments called thylakoids.

 These are formed by membranes called lamella and are stacked to

form grana (singular: granum).

 Chlorophyll pigments called quantasomes are found within thylakoids.

 Stroma, which is the liquid part of chlorophyll, surrounds the thylakoids.

 Within the organelles, we will also find the chloroplast DNA which is the genetic
material, ribosomes and starch granules

 The glucose produced during photosynthesis is converted to insoluble starch which

is stored in these granules.
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Micrograph of Plagiomnium affine showing chloroplasts.

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The light-dependent phase of photosynthesis

1- Light-dependent phase
 The first phase of photosynthesis is known as the light-dependent phase.

 In this phase of photosynthesis, the radiant energy from the sun is harnessed.

 This phase of photosynthesis occurs in the grana or stacks of thylakoids.

The process occurs according to the following steps:

1. The sun's radiant energy is absorbed by the leaf and enters the chloroplasts. Here,
the chlorophyll in the grana absorbs the energy.
2. Water, absorbed through the roots of the plant and transported to the leaves via
the xylem vessels, enters the grana.
3. The radiant energy causes the photolysis of the water molecules.

Photolysis is the splitting of a water molecule using light energy.

The water molecule splits to form:

 Hydrogen ions (H+) that are energy-rich and will be used in the light-
independent phase of photosynthesis.
 Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere as a byproduct of
photosynthesis.

4. The radiant energy also forms ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

through phosphorylation. This energy carrier molecule will be used in the light-
independent reaction too.

Light-independent phase
The light-independent phase of photosynthesis occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast and
makes use of the products formed during the light-dependent phase. The following steps
occur:
1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the stomata of the leaves and is transported into
the chloroplasts.
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2. The carbon dioxide combines with the hydrogen ions (H+), which were produced in
the light-dependent phase. This happens with the help of the ATP energy-carrying
molecules. This reaction produces glucose (C6H12O6)
3. The glucose is used by the plant in cellular respiration, and excess glucose can be
stored as starch.

While this reaction is called the light-independent or dark phase of photosynthesis, it does
not need darkness to occur. The name simply implies that the reaction can
occur without the presence of light.

Light-dependent phase of photosynthesis.

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2) Light-independent phase
 The light-independent phase of photosynthesis occurs in the stroma of
the chloroplast and makes use of the products formed during the light-
dependent phase.

The following steps occur:

1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the stomata of the leaves and is transported into
the chloroplasts.
2. The carbon dioxide combines with the hydrogen ions (H+), which were produced in
the light-dependent phase. This happens with the help of the ATP energy-carrying
molecules. This reaction produces glucose (C6H12O6)
3. The glucose is used by the plant in cellular respiration, and excess glucose can be
stored as starch.

While this reaction is called the light-independent or dark phase of photosynthesis, it

does not need darkness to occur. The name simply implies that the reaction can
occur without the presence of light.

Light-independent phase of photosynthesis

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Comparison of phases
We have now examined the light-dependent and light-independent phases of
photosynthesis. The chemical reactions that occur in photosynthesis involve various
enzymes and electron donors which you do not need to know about for now.

Table 1: Comparison between the phases of photosynthesis.

Light-dependent phase Light-independent phase

Occurs in the grana. Occurs in the stroma.

Light is required. Light is not required.

Radiant energy and water are absorbed.

Carbon dioxide is absorbed.
Photolysis and phosphorylation occur.

Photolysis of water, hydrogen ions move to the

Hydrogen ions and carbon dioxide combine to
next phase, and oxygen is released into the
form glucose with the help of ATP.
atmosphere.

Glucose is used for cellular respiration. Excess

Phosphorylation occurs to produce ATP.
glucose is stored as starch.
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Leaf adaptations

Leaf structure
 Leaves are the food factories of plants.
 Most of the photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of a plant.
 The leaves of a plant are specially adapted to allow the process
of photosynthesis to be as efficient as possible.

Let’s look at these adaptations.

 Leaves generally have a thin, flat lamina (blade) - This allows for
an increased surface area, increasing the amount of sunlight that can
be absorbed. The thinness of leaves allows for easy and fast gas exchange to occur.

Thin, flat lamina.

To understand how a leaf is adapted for photosynthesis, we need to examine the cross-
section of the leaf, so that we can see the internal, cellular structures.
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Cross-section of a leaf.

 The upper surface of the leaf is covered by a waxy cuticle layer. This
structure prevents water loss from the leaf during hot weather.

 It is important to note that the waxy cuticle is transparent – this means that
the sunlight can pass through it to the cells lower down
where photosynthesis occurs.

 The underside of the leaf contains many small openings. These are
called stomata (singular: stoma). Stomata allow gas exchange to occur, taking
in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere.

 The openings of the stomata are controlled by guard cells. The guard cells open the
stomata when carbon dioxide is needed but close them when water loss needs to be
prevented.
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Open and closed guard cell.

There are three types of tissue found in leaves. Let’s look at each of these.
 The dermal tissue of a leaf is the epidermis.

 The upper epidermis is found directly below the waxy cuticle, and the lower
epidermis is on the underside of the leaf, surrounding the stomata.

 The epidermis protects the leaf but is a very thin layer. This allows the sunlight to
pass through to the lower cells.

 Below the upper epidermis is the palisade mesophyll layer, which is part of
the ground tissue.

 The palisade cells contain many chloroplasts, and it is where majority

of photosynthesis occurs. Palisade mesophyll cells are in the upper area, so that they
can easily obtain the sunlight needed for photosynthesis.

 Beneath the palisade mesophyll layer and above the lower epidermis is the spongy
mesophyll. This also forms part of the ground tissue.

 There are many air spaces between the spongy mesophyll cells.

 These air spaces allow for the rapid diffusion of gases.

 Oxygen diffuses out of the cells and is released back into the atmosphere,
while carbon dioxide diffuses into the cells where it will be used for photosynthesis.
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Dermal and ground tissues.

 The final tissue type found in leaves is the vascular tissue, which is found in vascular
bundles. The vascular bundles are essential for transport in plants.

 Xylem vessels transport water around the plant, from the roots and into the leaves,
where it enters the palisade mesophyll cells and is used for photosynthesis.

 Phloem vessels transport food around the plant. Once glucose has been synthesised
in the leaves during photosynthesis, it must be transported to cells around the plant
for cellular respiration.
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