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Photosynthesis
Like all living things, plants need food to live. This food is used for energy and to make new materials
when plants grow. Plants are able to take two inorganic chemicals, carbon dioxide gas and water, to
make an organic chemical, glucose. This simple food can be used as an energy source or converted into
other useful organic molecules.
The process requires an input of energy. Plants have found a way to capture the energy from sunlight
using a pigment called chlorophyll. Once this light energy has been captured it can be used to create
glucose, converting the light energy into chemical energy. Oxygen gas is released as a waste chemical.
As light energy is used to create organic materials the process is named Photosynthesis.
The reaction for photosynthesis can be shown as:

The chemical equation is :

The Structure of a Leaf
The leaf is where photosynthesis takes place. It has many adaptations to make it perform its job
better.
The leaf has a waxy cuticle to stop it losing water and drying out.
The epidermis is a protective layer of cells and contains no chloroplasts.
The palisade layer contains the most chloroplasts as it is near the top of the leaf. The
chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll. It is here that photosynthesis takes place.
The palisade cells are arranged upright. This means the light has to pass through the cell
lengthways and so increases the chance of light hitting a chloroplast and being absorbed.
The spongy layer contains fewer chloroplasts, enough to catch what the palisade layer cannot
absorb.
The spongy layer has air spaces to make it easier for gases to circulate in the leaf.
The vascular bundle provides the leaf with water via the xylem vessels. Food, such as sugar,
made in the leaf is transported in the phloem vessels to the rest of the leaf.
The stomata (stoma - singular) are tiny pores that allow carbon dioxide to enter the leaf while
oxygen leaves the leaf.
Guard cells can open or close the stomatal pores to regulate how much gas can enter or leave
the leaf. At night the pores close, opening in the daytime.
Limiting Factors
Elodea (Canadian Pondweed) is often used to investigate the speed of photosynthesis under different
conditions. As plants produce food by photosynthesis they also give out oxygen. The more food
produced the greater the amount of oxygen produced. As Elodea is a pond plant, the oxygen given off
can be seen as bubbles. These can either be counted directly or for accuracy the volume of oxygen
released can be measured. The gas can be proven to be oxygen as it will relight a glowing splint.
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The apparatus below is often used to measure the rate of photosynthesis (the volume of oxygen
released in a given time).

The sodium hydrogen carbonate solution provides the elodea with carbon dioxide. The concentration of
this can be varied to change the amount of carbon dioxide the plant receives. The lamp provides light.
By moving the lamp closer or further you can adjust the amount of light the plant receives. The further
away the lamp is the less light it gets. The temperature of the water can also be changed. All these
factors will affect the rate of photosynthesis.
Temperature
Light
Carbon Dioxide Concentration
These factors are often termed limiting factors. The reason for this is that they can limit the rate of
photosynthesis. If any factor is not at the optimum level then photosynthesis will be limited by that
factor. For example, the temperature may be just right and the air may contain lots of carbon dioxide,
but if there is too little light then the rate of photosynthesis will be low.
The Effect of Temperature on Photosynthesis
When the temperature rises the rate of photosynthesis rises also. This is because the particles in the
reaction move quicker and collide more. There is an optimum temperature however. At this point the
rate of photosynthesis progresses as fast as it can, limited only by the other factors. Beyond this
temperature the enzymes controlling the reaction become denatured and the reaction quickly comes
to a halt.



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The Effect of Light on Photosynthesis
Plants need light energy to make the chemical energy needed to create carbohydrates. The greater the
intensity of light the plant receives more light energy. The plant can photosynthesize faster as a result.
As the light intensity decreases the amount of light the plant receives is less and therefore the rate of
photosynthesis decreases.

Light is a limiting factor at low light intensities. There comes a point though that any extra light energy
will not increase the rate of the reaction. This is because the enzymes controlling the reaction are
working as fast as possible. A this point light is no longer a limiting factor.
The Effect of Carbon Dioxide Levels on Photosynthesis
When the concentration of carbon dioxide is low the rate of photosynthesis is also low. This is because
the plant has to spend a certain amount of time doing nothing, waiting for more carbon dioxide to
arrive.
Increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide increases the rate of photosynthesis. The time spent
idle becomes less and less.
There is a point at which further addition of carbon dioxide will not increase the rate of
photosynthesis. The enzymes controlling the reaction are working as fast as possible, so the excess
carbon dioxide cannot be utilized. Carbon dioxide is not the limiting factor at this point.




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The Fate of Glucose
Glucose is the first food chemical which plants make. This is often stored as the complex carbohydrate,
starch. Plants though need more than just this chemical in order to grow. Glucose is used as a starting
material to make all the different chemicals plants need.
For example, glucose is combined with ammonia (which plants absorb from the soil in the form of
nitrates) to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, vital for growth and maintenance.

Plant Mineral Requirements
Plants need a number of minerals to live healthily. These mineral ions may be needed to make certain
chemicals or needed to make certain reactions work properly. Plant absorbs these minerals from the
soil when water is absorbed.
Element Mineral Salt Why it is needed Deficiency Disease
Nitrogen Nitrates To make proteins Poor growth, yellow
leaves.
Sulphur Sulphates To make proteins Poor growth, yellow
leaves.
Phosphorus Phosphates Needed to make DNA and chemicals
involved in respiration
Poor growth,especially
of roots.
Magnesium Magnesium
salts
To make chlorophyll Yellowing between
veins of leaves.
Iron Iron salts To make chlorophyll; iron is not
contained in chlorophyll but is needed
for its manufacture.
Yellowing in young
leaves.
Potassium Potassium
salts
To keep correct salt balance for cells Mottled leaves