Question

Give reaction to show photolyseis of water.

Answer 1

Answer:

The photolysis of water (H2O) in the light reactions of photosynthesis occurs in the water-splitting complex of photosystem II embedded in thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts where light is used to split water molecules as represented by the following equation:

2H2O → 4H+ + 4e- + O2

Oxygen (O2) is liberated to the atmosphere as a waste product in this process.

In this way, electrons (e-) are gained to replace those lost through photoexcitation from chlorophyll a in the reaction center of photosystem II which begins noncyclic photophosphorylation.

In the light reactions, electrons lost by chlorophyll are used to generate ATP for energy, and to reduce NADP to use as a reducing agent in the Calvin cycle where monosaccharides are fixed from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and used by the plant for structure and energy.