Homework - Photosynthesis - 10A

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Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, some bacteria and some protistans use the energy from sunlight to produce glucose from carbon dioxide and water. This glucose can be converted into pyruvate which releases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by cellular respiration. Oxygen is also formed.
Photosynthesis may be summarised by the word equation:

carbon dioxide + water

glucose + oxygen

The conversion of usable sunlight energy into chemical energy is associated with the action of the green pigment chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is a complex molecule. Several modifications of chlorophyll occur among plants and other photosynthetic organisms. All photosynthetic organisms have chlorophyll a. Accessory pigments absorb energy that chlorophyll a does not absorb. Accessory pigments include chlorophyll b (also c, d, and e in algae and protistans), xanthophylls, and carotenoids (such as beta-carotene). Chlorophyll a absorbs its energy from the violet-blue and reddish orange-red wavelengths, and little from the intermediate (green-yellow-orange) wavelengths.

Chlorophyll - click on image to open
All chlorophylls have:

• a lipid-soluble hydrocarbon tail (C₂₀H₃₉ -)
• a flat hydrophilic head with a magnesium ion at its centre; different chlorophylls have different side-groups on the head

The tail and head are linked by an ester bond.