About the Topic
Photosynthesis
In photosynthesis, plants capture light energy. Using this energy, they take water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to build carbohydrates ([CH2O]) and other molecules. Plants use these carbohydrates in two ways: (1) to provide the energy needed for growth and development, and (2) to build more complex molecules and structures.
Photosynthesis can be summarized by the following chemical equation:
This simple reaction might make photosynthesis itself seem very simple. But there's a lot more that goes into photosynthesis than can be shown in this reaction. (In fact, scientists are learning more about it all the time.)
Linked Reactions
Photosynthetic reactions all occur in the chloroplast. One set of reactions occurs in thethylakoids. The other set of reactions occurs in the stroma. Products of thylakoid reactions become reactants for stromal reactions, and products of stromal reactions become reactants for thylakoid reactions.
Figure 1: The chloroplast is divided into different compartments.
About the Simulation
Observe
A. Observe and Experiment tabs: display the Observe and Experiment windows
B. Arrows: move to the next or previous page
C. Numbers: allow you to jump directly to a specific page
D. Play Controls: play, pause, and stop the current animation
Experiment
A. Nighttime: turns off the light
B. Daytime: turns on the light
C. White: uses the full spectrum of light
D. Specific Wavelength: allows you to specify a specific wavelength range
E. CO2 High and Low: change the concentration of CO2
F. O2 High and Low: change the concentration of O2
G. Wavelength Ranges: click to select a specific wavelength range
H. ATP and NADPH Amounts: indicates the amount of ATP and NADPH in the stroma
I. CO2 and O2 Levels: indicates the concentrations of CO2 and O2
J. Efficiency: displays the photosynthetic efficiency under the current conditions