The Two Big Biochemical Processes of Cells
This post will go through photosynthesis and cell respiration for Prelim Biology.
Photosynthesis and Cell Respiration
Photosynthesis is a process that is exclusive to plant cells with chloroplasts. It is the production of glucose using energy from the sun to stimulate the reaction, oxygen is an important secondary product of photosynthesis. The chemical reaction is given by:
6H2O + 6CO2 -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Cellular respiration is not the same as the respiration you associate with breathing, it a chemical reaction that takes place in cells to break down glucose and produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The ATP molecule can break down which produces energy that is then used in various cellular processes such as active transport. The chemical reaction is given by:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6H2O + 6CO2
Note that photosynthesis and cellular respiration are not reverse reactions, they are entirely different processes with many sub-steps that do not overlap.Â
This video goes explores photosynthesis and respiration in the second half which you can skip to if you are comfortable with the concept of cell requirements which will be covered again in the first half.
This video is a cool animation that describes the production of ATP in cellular respiration.
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