Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

Photosynthesis is a redox reaction. Explain.

seo-qna
SearchIcon
Answer
VerifiedVerified
442.8k+ views
Hint: Redox reactions include many major biological processes. The reduction of carbon dioxide into sugars and oxidation of water into molecular oxygen is involved in photosynthesis. To produce carbon dioxide and water, the reverse reaction, respiration, oxidizes sugars.

Complete answer:
Redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions are characterized by electron transfer. A substance tends to lose its electrons during oxidation, while a substance tends to gain electrons during reduction.
Photosynthesis is a mechanism in which chlorophyll-containing plants turn carbon dioxide into sugars through a series of redox reactions in the presence of sunlight.
The Calvin cycle is a sequence of reactions that are used to remove electrons that are then used to transform carbon dioxide into organic compounds from water.
Reactions to Redox during photosynthesis:
Two big measures are involved-
The first step is to oxidize oxygen in the presence of light in the water molecule.
${ 2H }_{ 2 }{ O }\rightarrow { O }_{ 2 }+{ 4H }^{ + }$
The second step is the reduction stage where the carbon in carbon dioxide is reduced by hydrogen ions
${ 4H }^{ + }+{ CO }_{ 2 }\rightarrow { CH }_{ 2 }{ O }+{ H }_{ 2 }{ O }$
The net reaction – ${ CO }_{ 2 }+{ H }_{ 2 }{ O }\rightarrow { CH }_{ 2 }{ O }+{ H }_{ 2 }{ O }$

Additional information: Photosynthesis is a reaction of endothermic. Without energy (from the Sun), this means it does not occur. A green pigment called chlorophyll in the leaves absorbs the light needed. In chloroplasts in plant cells, especially the palisade and spongy mesophyll cells, chlorophyll is found.
Light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle (light-independent reactions) are two stages of photosynthesis: photosynthesis takes place in two stages. Light-dependent reactions that take place in the membrane of the thylakoid use light energy to generate ATP and NADPH.

Note: It isn't the output of oxygen. The primary purpose of photosynthesis is to transform solar energy into chemical energy for future use and then store the chemical energy. The living systems of the earth, for the most part, are driven by this mechanism.