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PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Essentially all free energy utilized by biological systems arises from solar energy that is
trapped by the process of photosynthesis.
The basic equation of photosynthesis is :
Light
CO2 + H2O -----------------à (CH2O) + O2
• The electron, extracted from its initial site by absorption of light, can reduce other
species to store the light energy in chemical forms.
• Photosynthesis of green plants is mediated by two kinds of membrane bound,
light-sensitive complexes – photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II).
The +Ve charge left at P700 is neutralized by electron transferred from reduced
plastocyanin.
The standard free energy for oxidation of reduced plastocyanin by oxidized ferredoxin is
+18.9 kCal/ mol. This uphill reaction is driven by the absorption of a 700 nm photon
which has an energy of 40.9 kcal/mol. The cooperation between PSI and II creates
electron flow from water to NADP+. The pathway of electron flow is called Z-scheme of
photosynthesis as the redox diagram looks like the letter Z.
Starch in chloroplasts and sucrose in the cytosol are the major carbohydrate stores in
plants.