What is 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 :
Testing a Leaf for Starch
