Jump to content

Photosynthesis- a missing product

Featured Replies

As far as I am concerned, photosynthesis does produce h2o

But after studying both light and dark reaction, I didn't find out any water molecule produced

Can you help me point out which reaction does that

post-119186-0-96359100-1473950459_thumb.jpeg

Edited by NghiaFromVN

I may not be following you. Photosynthesis uses water as a reactant and produces molecular oxygen. I have not looked carefully at the carbon assimilation reactions with respect to whether they are water-producing or water-consuming.

  • Author

I edited my post. Each co2 fixed reqUIRE 2 NADPH so 6 need 12, which mean 12 pairs of electron or 12 water molecules. That is easy to understand, but where does that water product come from ?

Why not subtract the 6H2O from both sides?

  • Author

No, 6co2 will require 12 pairs of electron to enter the Calvin cycle, so you cannot subtract 6 h20, so where do those molecules come from ?

12 pairs of electron means 12 water molecules

I am going to suggest this bookkeeping as a simple way to make the electrons add up. Six carbon atoms gain a total of 24 electrons. The twelve oxygen atoms in six molecules of carbon dioxide can lose 24 electrons (each one changes from an oxidation number of -2 to 0). Six water molecules are needed to hydrate the six carbon atoms, in order to produce a carbohydrate. This way of thinking about photosynthesis is not intended to be mechanistically accurate; it is only intended to describe the stoichiometry.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.