Photosynthesis

• Photon


  A packet of light
• Chlorophyll


  The light-absorbing green-coloured pigment that begins the process of photosynthesis
• Chloroplast


  A membrane-bound organelle in green plant and algal cells that carries out photosynthesis
• Stroma


  The protein-rich semiliquid material in the interior of a chloroplast
• Thylakoid


  A disk-shaped sac in the stroma of a chloroplast
• Grana


  Stacks of thylakoids
• Lamellae


  Groups of unstacked thylakoids between grana
• Thylakoid Membrane


  The photosynthetic membrane within a chloroplast that contains light gathering pigment molecules and electron transport chains
• Thylakoid Lumen


  A fluid-filled interior space enclosed by the thylakoid membrane
• ATP


  A molecule containing three high energy phosphate bonds that acts as the primary energy-transferring molecule in a living organism
• ADP


  A molecule containing two high-energy phosphate bonds that may be formed by breaking one of the phosphate bonds in ATP
• NADP+


  A compound that accepts one hydrogen atom and two electrons forming NADPH; it is an electron acceptor
• NADPH


  A compound that donates one hydrogen atom and two electrons to another molecule, to reform NADP+; it is an electron donor
• Light-dependent reactions


  Reactions of photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and NADPH
• Carbon Fixation


  The process of incorporation CO2 into carbohydrate molecules
• Calvin Cycle


  A cyclic set of reactions occurring in the stroma of chloroplasts that fixes the carbon of CO2 into carbohydrate molecules and recycles coenzymes
• Light-independent reactions


  The second set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light
• Photosystem


  A cluster of photosynthetic pigments embedded in a thylakoid membrane of a chloroplast that absorbs light energy
• Electron Transport Chain


  A series of progressively stronger electron acceptors; each time an electron is transferred, energy is released
• Photolysis


  A chemical reaction in which a compound is broken down by light
• Oxidation


  A reaction in which an atom or molecule loses electrons
• Reduction


  A reaction which an atom or molecule gains electrons
• Chemiosmosis


  A process for synthesizing ATP using the energy of an electrochemical gradient and the ATP synthase enzyme
• Photosynthesis Equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
• Formula for Glucose: C6H12O6
• Short wavelengths have high energy
• Number of molecules used in the Calvin Cycle: 6 Molecules
• Raw Materials in photosynthesis: Carbon dioxide and Water
• Molecule of immediate energy: ATP
• Products of 'Light-Dependent' reactions: ATP, NADPH and O2
• Chemical reactions where electrons are lost: Oxidation
• Range of coloured lights wavelength: 380nm - 750nm
• Chlorophyll reflects the green pigment
• Chlorophyll A is the pigment able to use light energy
• Light is absorbed in the Thylakoid Membranes
• The process of water breaking down is Photolysis
• The Calvin Cycle occurs in the Stroma
• The process of incorporating CO2 into carbohydrate molecules is Carbon Fixation
• The chemical process where electrons are gained is Reduction
• The process where energy in electrons is released is Electron Transport Chain