Photosynthesis
1. Explain the role of enzymes in cells. Enzymes are like biological catalysts. They increase the rate of chemical reactions. Enzymes can be used to speed up or slow down a reaction by helping to break down foreign parts and waste. Enzymes create RNA and DNA by facilitating the reaction of ribose with adenosine.
2. Describe how an enzyme functions in a chemical reaction. They function in a similar way to chemical catalysts, by lowering (or occasionally raising) the activation energy' for a specific reaction
3. Write the summary equation for photosynthesis and identify the role of each reactant.
6CO2 +6H2O--->C6H12O6+ 6O2. Water + Carbon Dioxide+ sunlight. Water is split into electrons, hydrogen ions, and oxygen. CO2 gets reduced to sugar in the Calvin Cycle.
4. Identify materials or conditions necessary for photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, light
5. Describe the pathway that each reactant and product takes to reach or leave the photosynthetic
cells of a leaf.
6. Separate and identify the chloroplast pigments.
Chlorophyll a absorbs blue-violet and red light. Chlorophyll b absorbs blue and orange light, reflecting yellow-green
7. Describe the effect of light quantity on the rate of photosynthesis.
Light quantity affects the process of photosynthesis. The quantity of light allows a plant to make its own food.
8. Define the following terms:
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
Enzymes: a macromolecule, usually a protein that serves as a biological catalyst, changing the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction
Activation energy: the amount of energy that reactants must absorb before a chemical reaction will start
Substrates: a specific substance (reactant) on which an enzyme acts. Each enzyme recognizes only the specific substrate or substrates of the reaction it catalyzes.
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