The rest of the lab you should be able to conceptualize results and make inferences. It is important to develop an understanding of the basic process of photosynthesis. Review the summary diagram on page 37. You MUST learn the overall equation for photosynthesis and what it means. Respiration and photosynthesis each involve a series of chemical reactions.
Water is split into hydrogen ions, electrons, and oxygen.
The oxygen is given off in the form of O 2 gas. It takes the hydrogen atoms to the dark reaction. Light energy is absorbed by the pigment chlorophyll . The absorbed energy causes some electrons to be boosted from a low energy state to a high energy state. This energy is then used to produce ATP, which, like the hydrogen atoms from the water molecules, is used in the dark reaction.