Photosynthesis
and
Cellular Respiration
What is Photosynthesis actually?
What does it do and why do we need it?
What is Cellular Respiration?
What does it do and why do we need it?
What is Carbon and what does it do in our daily life?
Photosynthesis is a physico-chemical process by which plants, some bacteria and some protistans use chemical energy that is converted from light energy. That is stored in bonds of sugar. This energy is being used to drive the synthesis of organic compounds. In Plants, algae and certain types of bacteria the photosynthetic process is resulting of releasing molecular oxygen and by the removal of carbon dioxide that is from the atmosphere which is being used for synthesizing carbohydrates (oxygenic photosynthesis).
While other types of bacteria are just using energy that comes from the light for creating organic compounds. But in what these bacteria's differ is that they are not producing oxygen(anoxygenic photosynthesis)
While other types of bacteria are just using energy that comes from the light for creating organic compounds. But in what these bacteria's differ is that they are not producing oxygen(anoxygenic photosynthesis)
The photosynthesis is providing energy and is also reducing carbon which is required fur surviving which counts for virtually all live that is on our planet. Another thing that is important to survive is the molecular oxygen which is necessary for all live that is consuming oxygen.
Fossil fuels that are produced by the ancient photosynthetic are currently being used for providing energy by burning these fossil fuels. Normally photosynthesis occurs in cells or in organelles there are normally just a few microns across. This also has an impact on our planets atmosphere and also on the climate. Over the next century that is going to come we are going to be confronted with a decreased performance and competition of photosynthetic organisms which is going to occur because of the increased amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Knowing the physico-chemical process of photosynthesis is necessary for understanding the relationship between the atmosphere and the living organisms. And also for understanding the balance of life on the earth.
Fossil fuels that are produced by the ancient photosynthetic are currently being used for providing energy by burning these fossil fuels. Normally photosynthesis occurs in cells or in organelles there are normally just a few microns across. This also has an impact on our planets atmosphere and also on the climate. Over the next century that is going to come we are going to be confronted with a decreased performance and competition of photosynthetic organisms which is going to occur because of the increased amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Knowing the physico-chemical process of photosynthesis is necessary for understanding the relationship between the atmosphere and the living organisms. And also for understanding the balance of life on the earth.
To convert the sunlight energy to chemical energy that is been used, is associated with actions of green pigment chlorophyll which takes place in the chloroplast. The photosynthesis normally takes place in plant leave, and little or none occurs in stems, etc. The leave is being split into different parts which are upper and lower epidermis, mesophyll, vascular bundles (also known as veins) and the stomates. Photosynthesis occurs not in the upper and lower epidermal because these cells don't have any chloroplasts. That's why they are serving as a protection for the entire rest of the leaf. In the lower epidermis were stomates are there occurs an air exchange which is letting oxygen out and lets carbon dioxide inside. The transportation system of a leaf are vascular bundles (also known as veins) are transporting important nutrients such as water and others through the leaf. The vascular are bringing the nutrients to the parts of the leaf where they are needed. The place where photosynthesis takes place is in the chloroplast. The chloroplast is in mesophyll cells.
In the chloroplast there are six different parts which are the inner and outer membrane, inter-membrane space, stroma, thylakoids that are all stacked in the grana. The color green which is the color how the chloroplast looks like has that color because it is absorbing red and also blue light. These has an effect on our eye because our eye is unable to see these two colors. So the only color that is reaching our eye is the color green. This is the reason why chlorophyll is appearing green for us. The energy that is being used to absorb the red and also the blue light is being used on the photosynthesis process.The light green can't be used because it wont be absorbed so we are able to see it.
The actual equation of the photosynthesis process is simple but to let this process happen a complex of physical and chemical reaction must happen in order to coordinate in the correct and appropriate order. So that carbohydrates can synthesis. Almost thirty different proteins are required in a plant to produce a sugar molecule such as sucrose (also well known as "table sugar") that is working in a complicated membrane structure.
The molecular processes that are in photosynthesis are using radiant energy to activate the synthesis of carbohydrates. In the 1770's an English chemist and churchman has performed several different experiments which are showing that the plant is releasing a type of air that allows combustion. The name of that man was Joseph Priestly who achieved this by burning a candle that was standing in a closed vessel so long until the flame went out. In the vessel he placed a spring of mint afterwards and left it in there for several days. After a few days the candle was able to burn again. At that moment Joseph Priestly didn't knew anything about molecular oxygen. Through his experiment with the candle he showed that plants (in this case a spring of mint) are releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. 200 years later after Joseph Priestly demonstrated through his experiment that plants are releasing oxygen and now the production of oxygen by plants is one of the most active parts of the photosynthetic research.
Building on these discoveries from Joseph Priestly, Jan Ingenhousz demonstrated that the sunlight was necessary for the photosynthesis and he also found out that only the green parts of a plants were able to release oxygen. Jan Ingenhousz was a dutch physician. While Ingenhousz found that out an other man named Jean Senebier (a Swiss botanist naturalist) discovered that carbon oxygen is also required for the photosynthetic growth.
Nicolas-Theodore de Saussure (a Swiss chemist and plant physiologist) he also discovered that water is also required for the photosynthesis.
In 1845 the German physician and physicist Julius Robert von Meyer found out that photosynthetic organisms are converting the light from the sun into chemical free energy
Building on these discoveries from Joseph Priestly, Jan Ingenhousz demonstrated that the sunlight was necessary for the photosynthesis and he also found out that only the green parts of a plants were able to release oxygen. Jan Ingenhousz was a dutch physician. While Ingenhousz found that out an other man named Jean Senebier (a Swiss botanist naturalist) discovered that carbon oxygen is also required for the photosynthetic growth.
Nicolas-Theodore de Saussure (a Swiss chemist and plant physiologist) he also discovered that water is also required for the photosynthesis.
In 1845 the German physician and physicist Julius Robert von Meyer found out that photosynthetic organisms are converting the light from the sun into chemical free energy
During the middle of the nineteenth century most of the key elements of the photosynthesis process was known, that plants use the sunlight energy to to synthesis carbohydrates from carbon oxygen and water. The practical equation that is representing the photosynthesis for oxygen evolving organisms is:
The frequently written equation of photosynthesis was:
- CO2 + 2H2O + Light Energy ---> CH2O + O2 + H2O
The frequently written equation of photosynthesis was:
- 6CO2 + 12H2O + Light Energy ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
As already mentioned in the Photosynthesis part of this blog that the cells are storing energy. Energy that is being stored in bonds of a chemical is called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This chemical is made of the nucleic acid adenine, that can also being found in the DNA that are bond to ribose. Ribose is a five-carbon sugar that is also in the DNA. This is necessary for making nucleoside adenosine. When a adenosine is being bonded to a phosphate group, this is going to transform into adenosine monophosphate (AMP). Building blocks in the DNA is very similar to the ATP. When AMP is joining another group of a phosphate by a dehydration synthesis that is forming adenosine diphosphate (ADP). This ADP may join another phosphate group and is building the adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This happens again by the dehydration synthesis. During this process, energy is being released through hydrolysis. This chemical reaction goes in both ways and is written as:
The last two groups of phosphate are being hold together by bonds and are holding especially the last group. Bonds are very unstable and when these break they are going to release a lot of energy. High-energy bonds are being symbolized by "~" (example: AMP~P~P) . These cells are using high-energy bonds that are in ATP which are storing energy that is being harvested by cellular respiration and are transporting this energy, which happens by moving ATP molecules in the cell around.
- ADP + P <--> ATP + H2O
The last two groups of phosphate are being hold together by bonds and are holding especially the last group. Bonds are very unstable and when these break they are going to release a lot of energy. High-energy bonds are being symbolized by "~" (example: AMP~P~P) . These cells are using high-energy bonds that are in ATP which are storing energy that is being harvested by cellular respiration and are transporting this energy, which happens by moving ATP molecules in the cell around.
Muscle, brain and nerve cells are using and needing a lot of energy to maintain their job, that's why they contain a high number of mitochondria. Mitochondria is the engine and is burning sugar that is being used as fuel for the process of cellular respiration that are harvesting the energy from sugar. This energy is being transferred to ATP. This is happening because the energy can also being used for other purposes.
In harvesting energy from food there are important two steps involved which are fermentation and cellular respiration which is also known as aerobic respiration. Because oxygen is used to be a "final electron acceptor". There is also technically a third way which is anaerobic respiration in which it harvests energy from food in the same way such as aerobic respiration with the only difference that chemicals, such as sulfur are being used for the "final electron acceptor". Bacterias that live in extremely low-oxygen environment are using this anaerobic respiration. These are in deep soil or deep underwater. These kinds of bacteria are not only not using oxygen they are also getting poisoned or killed if they get in touch with it.
In harvesting energy from food there are important two steps involved which are fermentation and cellular respiration which is also known as aerobic respiration. Because oxygen is used to be a "final electron acceptor". There is also technically a third way which is anaerobic respiration in which it harvests energy from food in the same way such as aerobic respiration with the only difference that chemicals, such as sulfur are being used for the "final electron acceptor". Bacterias that live in extremely low-oxygen environment are using this anaerobic respiration. These are in deep soil or deep underwater. These kinds of bacteria are not only not using oxygen they are also getting poisoned or killed if they get in touch with it.
In the fermentation process are the molecules of pyruvic acid turning into "waste products", there is no energy produced anymore. Two of the most common fermentation processes types are lactic acid fermentation and also the alcohol fermentation. All of the fermentation processes are anaerobic because none of them are using in any way oxygen.
Prokaryotic cells carry out cellular respiration that is in the cytoplasm or also in the inner surface of the cell. More emphasis is being placed on the eukaryotic cells because they are containing mitochondria.
The differences and similarities between the aerobic and anaerobic respiration are:
The differences and similarities between Photosynthesis and Respiration are:
Carbon is present in all living organisms and because the earth is always dynamic, carbon is always moving it never stays still. When carbon is in the atmosphere it is being attached to oxygen which is a gas then that is called carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is in the greenhouse gas and it is trapping the heat in the atmosphere. This happens when humans burn fossil fuels as mentioned before in this blog.
Carbon dioxide is in the greenhouse gas and it is trapping the heat in the atmosphere. This happens when humans burn fossil fuels as mentioned before in this blog.
Sources
- http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/paper/gov.html
- http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/photosynth/overview.html
- http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/photosyn.htm
- http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html
- http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CellularRespiration.html
- http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/cellresp/intro.html
- http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/celres.html
- http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/cellresp.htm
- https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/cycles6.htm
- http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CarbonCycle.html
- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Aerobic_Respiration_vs_Anaerobic_Respiration
- http://www.newhealthguide.org/Difference-Between-Aerobic-And-Anaerobic-Respiration.html
- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Photosynthesis_vs_Respiration