Light independent reactions

• Carbon dioxide diffuses from the atmosphere into the leaf through the stomata. It dissolves in the water of the mesophyll cells, through the plasma membrane,cytoplasm and cell membrane into the stroma of the chloroplast
• Using rubisco, carbon dioxide binds to ribulose bisphosphate
• Rubisco is an enzyme that catalyses the reaction between carbon dioxide and ribulose bisphosphate.
• The combination of carbon dioxide and ribulose bisphosphate produces two molecules of glycerate 3-phosphate which are said to be "activated"
• Glycerate 3 phosphate is then converted back to triose phosphate by using ATP and NADPH produced during light dependent reactions
• Light independent reactions occur inside the stroma of the chloroplast
• Most of the triose phosphate continues through a complex series of reactions to regenerate the ribulose bisphosphate
• The hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and Pi provides the phosphate required for the production of ribulose bisphosphate
• Two of the triose phosphate molecules combine to form a 6-carbon glucose molecule