8D: Photosynthesis - The Light Reaction
- Page ID
- 4609
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Learning Objectives
- described the mechanistic similarities between mitochondrial oxidative/phosophorylation in which NADH and FADH2 are regenerated on reduction of O2 and the light reaction of photosynthesis in which O2 and a reducing agent, NADPH are produced;
- describe similarities in fluorescence resonance energy transfer and exciton transfer;
- describe the difference in properties between chlorophylls acting as antennae and chlorophylls at the reaction center;
- describe how sunlight driven excitation of chlorophyll molecules at the reaction center produces an oxidzing agent strong enough to oxide water and form O2, itself a powerful oxidizing agent;
- explain the general flow of electrons from dioxgen to NADP+ through a series of mobile and membrane protein bound electron carriers in the Z scheme of electron transport in the chloroplast thylacoid membranes;
- explain with picture diagrams how oxidation of H2O and phosphorylation reactions (to produce ATP) are coupled in in the Z scheme;
- D1. Introduction
- We will discuss only the light reaction of photosynthesis which produces these three types of molecules. The dark reaction, which as the name implies can occur in the dark, involves that actual fixation of carbon dioxide into carbohydrate using the ATP and NADPH produced in the light reaction.