Essay Example on Photosynthesis is the process of which plants convert sunlight Water

THE CALVIN CYCLE AND LIGHT REACTIONS WORKING TOGETHER The Calvin cycle is the second part of photosynthesis as you have already read the Calvin cycle gives off and transfers NADP ADP and Pi to the light reactions As we can see in this example the Calvin cycle gives of these molecules as energy and tools for the light reactions in order to convert the water into oxygen After this process is complete the light reactions attack a hydrogen molecule to NADP the same hydrogen from the water in order to be added to the sugar made by the Calvin cycle Light reactions then convert the light into ATP for the Calvin cycle as energy The Calvin cycle then converts CO2 into CH20 or a 5 base carbon sugar this process of converting carbon into organic compounds and known as carbon fixation HOW THE LIGHT REACTIONS MAKE ATP AND NADPH Chlorophyll molecules supercharged by absorbing light energy act different inside of a chloroplast then they do normally In their normal environment they are surrounded by other small organic molecules and proteins into a photosystem A photosystem is made up of a reaction center and surrounded by light harvesting complexes Each light harvesting complex consists of a pigment molecule bound together to specific proteins These act as an antenna and hold and transfer more light energy than any single pigment could This is so the energy goes straight to the reaction center The reaction center holds two special chlorophyll A molecules and a primary light acceptor the special molecules use the energy from the light to supercharge one of their electrons Light drives the creation of NADPH and ATP by charging the two photosystems inside the thylakoid membranes 

The fallen electrons are used to power the process it takes the hydrogen ion and uses diffusion to combined ADP and PI creating ATP CALVIN CYCLE USES ATP AND NADPH TO MAKE CO2 TO SUGAR First it takes in one carbon at a time and attaches it to a five carbon sugar called ribulose bisphosphate after this rubisco comes in and catalyzes it and forms an unstable six carbon intermediate then it immediately splits in half making two molecules of 3 phosphoglycerate Each molecule of 3 phosphoglycerate gets another phosphate group from ATP Becoming 1 3 bisphosphoglycerate Next a pair of electrons donated from NADPH reduces 1 3 phosphoglycerate to g3p the sugar output After this one of the 6 g3p s uses three more molecules of ATP becomes ribulose bisphosphate After using the electron from NADPH it becomes NADP and PI including an ATP turned into an ADP then all that is given to the light reactions and the whole process start over again