light independent reaction

• why is carbon dioxide needed?

  (carbon fixation) carbon dioxide from air combined with 5 carbon ribulose biphosphate (RUBP), which is catalysed by RuBISCO
• what happens after carbon fixation?

  6 carbon compound formed, immediately broken down to glycerate 3- phos (2 3 carbon compound)
• what happens to GP?

  reduced to glyceraldehyde 3-phos.

  • hydrogen comes from reduced NADP
  • energy required so ATP is hydrolised.

  12 GALP created
• what happens to 2/12 GALP?

  created glucose which can also be converted to other organic compounds:

  • immediate use = respiration, then prioritises other compounds like amino acids -> proteins or glycerol -> triglycerides
• what happens to 10/12 GALP?

  involved in recreation of RuBP, rearranging to form 6 5 carbon compounds using ATP (phosphorylation)