CHAPTER 2

SECTION 2-1

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 CAPTURING THE ENERGY IN LIGHT
PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
The process by which that energy comes directly from sun light used by
some organisms to obtain their own food. And also called light reaction
or light dependant reaction.

plant Cyanobacteria
Algae
Biochemical pathway : Is a complex series of chemical reactions , by which
the product of one reaction is consumed in the next reaction and photosynthesis is
involved
Cellular respiration 
is a set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells
of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into
adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products
Chloroplasts :organelles are only found in plant(50 chloroplasts)cells
and some unicellular eukaryots such as algae. convert light energy to
sugars that used by cells
double membrane.
Inside the inner membrane is another system of membranes called thylakoids individual
“pancakes”.
Grana stacks of thylakoids (pancakes).
Stroma –the fluid surrounding grana
 LIGHT AND PIGMENTS
• VISIBLE SPECTRUM:The visible light spectrum is the segment
of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eyes can view.
More simply, this range of wavelengths is called visible ...
• And also we have prism , so what is that ?

• WAVELENGTH: is the distance between peaks (high points).

• PIGMENTS:is a compound that changes the color of reflected or

transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective
absorption. In addition to water carbon dioxide and oxygen
photosynthesis required PIGMENTS .
CHLOROPLAST PIGMENT:

PIGMENTS

CHLOROPHYLL
CAROTENOID
S

Chlorophyll B Chlorophyll A
Chlorophyll A : Found in thylakoid membrane, Absorb less blue light , but
more red light than Chlorophyll B which is involve photosynthesis

Chlorophyll B : Found in thylakoid membrane , Absorb more blue light, but

less red light than Chlorophyll A
Assists chlorophyll a in capturing light energy therefor is called accessory
pigment

Carotenoid : Found in the thylakoid membrane that absorb yellow , orange

, brown light also functions like ACCESSORY PIGMENTS.

• In thylakoid membrane there are a few of chlorophyll and carotenoid

grouped into a cluster that referred to photosystem.
• Photosystem I and photosystem II.
• Accessory pigment molecules in both photosystem absorb light .
• Those molecules acquire energy and passed quickly to another pigment
molecule until it reaches to CHLOROPHYLL a.
Step 1:light excite Step 3:then electrons
Steps of electron transport:
electrons from
chlorophyll a in ph .2
transferred along an
electron transport
Step 5:electrons transferred along
second electron transport chain
chain and finally combine with NADP⁺ ,
H⁺ to make NADPH.

Step 2:electrons move

to a primary electron Step 4: light excite electron
acceptor in chlorophyll a of ph. 1
Electron in photosystem II replace electron from photosystem I.

But if this replacement never happen , what would be happen ?

Where this replacement would be provided ? And how?

what provide this replacement?

⁺ 4e⁻
CHEMIOSMOSIS:
• An important part of light reaction is the synthesis of ATP
through a process CHEMIOSMOSIS .
• Depending on concentration gradient of proton across
thylakoid membrane .
• Proton should pump into thylakoid from stroma .
• This pump require energy ,where this energy come from?
• Those mechanisms act to produce concentration gradient
of proton .
• Proton concentration must be higher inside thylakoid
than in stroma .
ATP synthase: is a multifunctional protein which harnessed
and build energy .
• Producing ATP by adding one phosphate group to adenosine
diphosphate or ADP .

• The energy that drives this

reaction provided by movement
of proton from thylakoid to
stroma .
• ATP synthase convert potential
energy into chemical energy to
stored in ATP.
• Some protons in stroma used to
build NADPH from NADP⁺,both
NADPH,ATP provide energy for
second set reaction in
photosynthesis .