Numbers in parentheses refer to the lesson(s) and page(s) on which the term is introduced/mentioned and/or discussed.
adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
Energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things. (L-05,p.2)
antenna complex
Contains the pigment chlorophyll a, and it's what makes them green. (L-05,p.2)
atoms
Are the smallest particle of an element. (L-02,p.2)
ATP Synthase
Considered a part of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, but it is not involved in the transport of electrons. (L-05,p.2)
Balanced Chemical Equation
A chemical equation in which the number of each type of atom is equal on the two sides of the equation. Balance equation of Photosynthesis:
6CO2+6H2O→C6H12O6+6O2 (L-02,p.3)
carbon dioxide (CO2)
A reactant of photosynthesis, and six carbon dioxide molecules are needed to produce one glucose molecule. Carbon dioxide molecules move from the surrounding air, entering a plant's leaf through the stomata in the epidermis. Once inside the leaf, these gas molecules move through the spongy mesophyll, entering the chloroplasts of palisade mesophyll cells. Within the stroma of the chloroplast, enzymes and the ATP, NADPH, and light energy harvested during the light-dependent reactions drive the light-independent reactions (also known as dark reactions or the Calvin cycle) that convert carbon dioxide into sugars. (L-01,p.1)
carbon fixation
Where inorganic carbon is fixed into organic carbon, such as sugars.(L-06,p.2)
cellular respiration
A process where oxygen is breathed in and used to help break down sugar molecules. In this process, carbon dioxide, water, and energy are released. (L-02,p.1)
chemical equation
A statement that uses chemical formulas to express the identities and quantities of the substances involved in a chemical or physical change. (L-02,p.2)
chemical reaction
The process in which substances are changed into other substances due to the rearrangement of molecules and atoms. (L-02,p.1)
chlorophyll
A green pigment contained in thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts that is used in photosynthesis by plants.(L-03,p.2)
chloroplast
An organelle within the cells of plants and certain algae that is the site of photosynthesis, which is the process by which energy from the Sun is converted into chemical energy for growth. (L-03,p.1)
dark reactions
Also called Calvin Cycle. Use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as ATP and NADPH from the light reactions, to make sugar.(L-05,p.1)
electromagnetic spectrum
The range of wavelengths from the radio waves of your car stereo to high-energy gamma rays. Chlorophyll and other pigments absorb specific visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.(L-04,p.2)
electron transport chain
A series of four protein complexes that couple redox reactions, creating an electrochemical gradient that leads to the creation of ATP in a complete system named oxidative phosphorylation. It occurs in mitochondria in both cellular respiration and photosynthesis. (L-05,p.2)
energy
The capacity to do work, that is, to move matter. (L-01,p.1)
excited state
When chlorophyll absorbs light energy, the electrons get really excited.They jump to a high energy level.(L-04,p.3)
Glucose (C6H12O6)
A glucose (sugar) molecule is the product of each light-independent reaction that occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast during photosynthesis. Glucose is made by joining two of the three-carbon sugar products of the Calvin cycle into a six-carbon sugar. Glucose can be made into larger sugars (sucrose) or carbohydrates such as starch and cellulose. (L-01,p.2)
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P)
The starting material for glucose and other sugars as well.(L-06,p.2)
grana
Singular 'granum', are stacks of thylakoids within chloroplasts.(L-03,p.2)
ground state
Chlorophyll contains electrons that are normally at a low energy state.(L-04,p.3)
light reaction
Use light energy to make two molecules needed for the next stage of photosynthesis: the energy storage molecule ATP and the reduced electron carrier NADPH. In plants, the light reactions take place in the thylakoid membranes of organelles called chloroplasts.(L-05,p.1)
matter
The physical stuff the universe is made from: stuff which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy. (L-01,p.1)
molecules
A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction. (L-02,p.2)
A coenzyme that functions as a universal electron carrier, accepting electrons and hydrogen atoms to form NADPH.(L-05,p.3)
oxygen (O2)
Oxygen molecules are a byproduct of photosynthesis. They are produced during the light-dependent reactions that occur in the thylakoids of the chloroplast. This oxygen gas is released through the leaf's stomata into the surrounding air. (L-01,p.1)
photolysis
The use of light energy to split water molecules and produce oxygen. (L-05,p.1)
photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar. (L-01,p.1)
photosystems
the functional units for photosynthesis, defined by a particular pigment organization and association patterns, whose work is the absorption and transfer of light energy, which implies transfer of electrons. (L-05,p.1)
pigment
A compound that absorbs a particular wavelength of visible light.(L-04,p.2)
primary electron acceptor
When a photon raises a chlorophyll electron to a higher energy level, that energy, and ultimately an electron, has to go somewhere. That somewhere, ideally for the photosynthesizing organism, is known as the Primary Electron Acceptor. (L-05,p.2)
products
The chemicals coming out of the reaction. (L-02,p.1)
reactants
The chemicals going into the reaction. (L-02,p.1)
reaction center
Complexes of pigment and protein that convert the electromagnetic energy of sunlight into chemical potential energy. (L-05,p.2)
A product of the first level of photosynthesis. It helps to fuel the reactions that occur in the second stage of the process of photosynthesis.(L-05,p.3)
ribulose bisphosphate (RUBP)
A 5 carbon compound involved in the Calvin cycle, which is part of the light independent reactions of photosynthesis. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is combined with RuBP to form a 6 carbon compound, with the help of an enzyme called RuBisCO. (L-06,p.2)
An enzyme that help fixed carbon dioxide into an organic molecule.(L-06,p.2)
stroma
The inner liquid portion of the chloroplast. (L-03,p.2)
sunlight
Sunlight's job in photosynthesis is to provide energy. The sun releases energy in the forms of heat and light.Plants use the energy of the sun to change water and carbon dioxide into a sugar called glucose. (L-02,p.2)
thylakoids
Are small disk-like compartments composed of membranes that are the sites of sunlight-dependent photosynthesis. (L-03,p.2)
water (H2O)
A reactant of photosynthesis, and six water molecules are needed for each set of photosynthesis reactions. These water molecules move from the soil surrounding the plant, entering the roots through the root hairs and traveling through the xylem in the roots and stem to a leaf. Once inside the leaf, the water molecules move into the chloroplasts inside the palisade mesophyll cells. During the light-dependent reactions that occur in the thylakoids of the chloroplast, the water molecules are split to convert NADP+ to NADPH, to help drive the production of ATP, and to produce oxygen, a byproduct of photosynthesis. (L-01,p.1)
