Respiration and Photosynthesis
“Respiration” and “Photosynthesis”
All life depends on two chemical reactions “Respiration” and “Photosynthesis”. These two processes are quite crucial because they are a source to nearly all life on Earth. Both of these processes are quite similar yet differentiate vastly. In this essay I’ll be comparing and contrasting “Photosynthesis” and “Respiration”. I’ll start by discussing what actually happens in both these processes and how? Moving on to the energy transfers these processes go through and how these reactions relate to each other.
Plants feed using a process called ‘Photosynthesis’. Photosynthesis is the chemical change which happens in the leaves of green plants. It’s the first step towards making food; not just for plants but ultimately every animal on the planet. During this reaction carbondioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. For this reaction to occur both carbon and nitrogen are absorbed from the roots as nitrate and so is carbon as carbondioxide from the air and it also needs energy as the reaction is endothermic, therefore the energy is ‘light’ from the sun. This is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll in the leaf. Therefore, photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts which are present in the palisade cells (found near the top of the leaf.)
(fig: 1 )
As chloroplasts contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy needed to make photosynthesis happen. The equation for this reaction is:
6CO2 + 6H2O+ light energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Sugars created in photosynthesis can be later converted by the plant to starch for storage, or it can be combined with other sugar molecules to form specialized carbohydrates such as cellulose, or it can be combined with other nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, to build complex
All life depends on two chemical reactions “Respiration” and “Photosynthesis”. These two processes are quite crucial because they are a source to nearly all life on Earth. Both of these processes are quite similar yet differentiate vastly. In this essay I’ll be comparing and contrasting “Photosynthesis” and “Respiration”. I’ll start by discussing what actually happens in both these processes and how? Moving on to the energy transfers these processes go through and how these reactions relate to each other.
Plants feed using a process called ‘Photosynthesis’. Photosynthesis is the chemical change which happens in the leaves of green plants. It’s the first step towards making food; not just for plants but ultimately every animal on the planet. During this reaction carbondioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. For this reaction to occur both carbon and nitrogen are absorbed from the roots as nitrate and so is carbon as carbondioxide from the air and it also needs energy as the reaction is endothermic, therefore the energy is ‘light’ from the sun. This is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll in the leaf. Therefore, photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts which are present in the palisade cells (found near the top of the leaf.)
(fig: 1 )
As chloroplasts contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy needed to make photosynthesis happen. The equation for this reaction is:
6CO2 + 6H2O+ light energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Sugars created in photosynthesis can be later converted by the plant to starch for storage, or it can be combined with other sugar molecules to form specialized carbohydrates such as cellulose, or it can be combined with other nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, to build complex