Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis converts light energy into the
chemical energy of sugars and other organic compounds. This process
consists of a series of chemical reactions that require carbon dioxide
(CO2) and water (H2O) and store chemical energy in the form of sugar. Light energy from light drives the reactions. Oxygen (O2) is a byproduct of photosynthesis and is released into the atmosphere. The following equation summarizes photosynthesis:
6 CO2 + 6 H2O → 6(CH2O) + 6 O2
sugar
Photosynthesis transfers electrons from water to energy-poor CO2
molecules, forming energy-rich sugar molecules. This electron transfer
is an example of an oxidation-reduction process: the water is oxidized
(loses electrons) and the CO2 is reduced (gains electrons).
Photosynthesis uses light energy to drive the electrons from water to
their more energetic states in the sugar products, thus converting solar
energy into chemical energy.
Photochemical Reaction, a chemical reaction initiated
by the absorption of energy in the form of light. The consequence of molecules’
absorbing light is the creation of transient excited
states whose chemical and physical properties differ greatly from the
original molecules. These new chemical species can fall apart, change to new
structures, combine with each other or other molecules, or transfer electrons, hydrogen atoms, protons,
or their electronic excitation energy to other
molecules. Excited states are stronger acids and stronger reductants
than the original ground states.
It is this last property that is crucial in the most
important of all photochemical processes, photosynthesis,
upon which almost all life on Earth depends. Through photosynthesis,
plants convert the energy of sunlight into stored chemical energy by
forming carbohydrates from atmospheric carbon dioxide and water and
releasing molecular oxygen as a byproduct. Both carbohydrates and
oxygen are needed to sustain animal life. Many other processes in nature are
photochemical. The ability to see the world
starts with a photochemical reaction in the eye, in which retinal, a
molecule in the photoreceptor cell rhodopsin, isomerizes
(or changes shape) about a double bond after absorbing light. Vitamin D, essential for normal bone and teeth development
and kidney function, is formed in the skin of animals after
exposure of the chemical 7-dehydrocholesterol to sunlight.
Ozone protects Earth’s surface from intense, deep ultraviolet
(UV) irradiation, which is damaging to DNA and
is formed in the stratosphere by a
photochemical dissociation(separation) of molecular oxygen (O2) into
individual oxygen atoms, followed by subsequent reaction of those oxygen atoms
with molecular oxygen to produce ozone (O3). UV radiation that does get through
the ozone layer photochemically damages DNA, which in turn introduces mutations on
its replication that can lead to skin cancer.
Photochemical
reactions and the properties of excited states are also critical in many
commercial
processes
and devices. Photography and xerography are both based upon
photochemical processes, while the manufacture of semiconductor chips
or the preparation of masks for printing newspapers relies on UV
light to destroy molecules in selected regions of polymer masks.
For more information:
http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/photosynthesis
http://wizznotes.com/biology/nutrition-in-plants/introduction
No comments:
Post a Comment