Light-Dependent Steps
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- Energy is captured from the sun by light-absorbing molecules and is transferred to electrons that enter the electron transport chain.
- Water Molecules are broken down into hydrogen ions, electrons, and oxygen molecules by the enzymes. The water molecules provide the hydrogen ions and electrons used in light-dependent reactions and the oxygen is released at waste.
- Electrons move from protein to protein in the electron transport chain which are used to pump hydrogen ions inside the thylakoids.
- Energy is captured from the sun again by light-absorbing molecules and the electrons become energized and leave the molecule.
- The energized electrons are added to a molecule called NADP+ which is just like ADP. NADPH is the result which is just like ATP. The NADPH then goes to the light-independent reactions.
- Hydrogen ions go through a protein channel in the thylakoids and the ATP is formed by adding phosphate groups to the ADP.
- These steps require light-dependent reactions which capture energy from the sun. This is the photo- part of photosynthesis.
This next part is photosystem I which relies on photosystem II to work.
Light-Independent Steps
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- CO2 molecules are added to five carbon molecules in the Calvin Cycle which create six carbon molecules.
- The ATP and NADPH from the light-dependent reactions are used by enzymes to split the six carbon molecules which create three carbon molecules.
- Most of the three carbon molecules stay in the Calvin Cycle, but two high energy three carbon molecule leave and then they are bonded together to make sugars, mostly glucose.
- Energy from ATP molecules changes the three carbon molecules back into five carbon molecules, which stay in the Calvin Cycle for when new CO2 molecules enter the cycle.
These steps use light independent reactions which use energy from ATP and NADPH instead of from the sun. This is the -synthesis part of photosynthesis.