Photosynthesis Case

Photosynthesis

Using chlorophyll, plants and some algae and bacteria use sunlight energy to enable a reaction which combines carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to form sugars or other carbohydrates which store energy and release oxygen (O2) as a product, back into the atmosphere. This is represented as an equation like the following based on a sugar e.g. glucose:

Whilst land plants, and rainforests in particular might produce much of the earth's oxygen through photosynthesis, at least half is produced by the same process in the tiny phytoplankton of the oceans.

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms create energy. Plants collect energy from sunlight and use this energy to make a sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of nutrition for plants, fueling their cells for function and growth.

In addition, plants use their roots to drink up water from the soil, and that water travels from the roots to the plant's leaves. Meanwhile, leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and the water and carbon dioxide spread through the leaves into cells called the palisade and spongy cells. These cells contain structures called chloroplasts, which are filled with a green pigment called chlorophyll-it's chlorophyll that gives plants their green color.

In photosynthesis, chlorophyll traps energy from sunlight, storing it as chemical energy. The process splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and chemical energy is used to create glucose from the hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The glucose dissolves into extra water molecules and gives the plant plenty of food for growth.

Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct. So, in a way, plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen! Since we do the opposite, the cycle goes back and forth in the air.