6-1 Capturing the Energy in Light -photosynthesis- the process in which an energy transfer takes place and organisms

use energy to carry out the functions of life Energy for Life Processes Autotrophs- organisms that manufacture their own food from inorganic substances and energy Most autotrophs use photosynthesis to convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy Heterotrophs- organisms that cannot manufacture their own organic compounds from inorganic substances biochemical pathway- a series of chemical reactions in which the product of one reaction is consumed in the next reaction

Light Absorption in Chloroplasts light reactions- the intial reactions in photosynthesis most chloroplasts are similar in structure each chloroplast is surrounded by a pair of membranes. Inside the inner membrance is another system of membranes, arranged as flattened sacs called thylakoids grana- stacks of thylakoids stroma- a solution that surrounds the thylakoids

Light and Pigments light is composed of a variety of colors visible spectrum- the array of colors ranging from red at one end to violet at the other that forms when white light passes through a prism light travels through space as eergy wavelength- the distance between crests in a wave pigment- a compound that absorbs light

Chloroplast Pigments chlorophylls- a pigment in the membrane of the thylakoids two most common chlorophlls are chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b; absorbs less blue light but more blue light accessory pigment- a chlorophyll that assists another chlorophyll in capturing light energy carotenoids- other compounds that also function as accessory pigments

Electron Transport photosystem- a cluster of pigment molecules in the thylakoid membrane photosystem I and photosystem II- similar in terms of the kind of pigments, but have different roles in light reactions Step (1) Light energy forces the electrons to enter a higher energy level in the chlorophylla molecules of photosystem II.They are now excited and have enough energy to leave the chlorophylla molecules. Step (2) The acceptor of those lost electrons is a molecule in the thylakoid membrane called the primary electron acceptor Step (3) The primary electron acceptor donates the electrons to a series of molecules which transfer electrons from one molecule to the next. It is naturally called an electron transport chain .As the electrons move from molecule to molecule in the chain, they lost most of the original energy they had when they were excited. This lost energy is used to move protons (H+) into the thylakoid. Step (4) Light is absorbed by photosystem I at the same time that light was absorbed by photosystem II. The electrons from the chlorophylla molecules in photosystem I move to another primary electron acceptor. The electrons lost by these chlorophylla molecules are replaced by the electrons that passed through the electron transport chain from photosystem II. Step (5) The electrons that photosystem I now has are donated to a different electron transport chain, which brings them to the outer side of the thylakoid membrane. There the electrons combine with a proton and NADP+, an organic molecule that accepts electrons during redox reactions. This causes NADP+ to be reduced to NADPH

Restoring Photosystem II For every 2 molecules of water that are split, 4 electrons become available to replace the lost by chlorophyll molecules in photosystem II The protons that are produced are left inside the thylakoid while the oxygen diffuses our of the chloroplast and can then leave the plant. Thus, oxygen can be regarded as a byproduct of the light reactions

Chemiosmosis Chemiomosis- relies on a concentration gradient of protons across the thylakoid membrane Concentration gradient of protons represents potential energy. That eergy is harnessed by a protein called ATP synthase, which is located in the thylakoid membrane

The energy that drives this reaction is provided by the movement of protons from the inside of the thylakoid to the stroma ATp synthase is a multifunctional proftein