Plants and algae carry out photosynthesis in their chloroplasts. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in chloroplasts, absorbs light energy. The reaction uses carbon dioxide and water as reactants and makes glucose and oxygen as products.
Word equation: carbon dioxide + water, in the presence of light, makes glucose + oxygen.
Symbol equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2. Six molecules of carbon dioxide react with six molecules of water to make one molecule of glucose and six molecules of oxygen.
Photosynthesis is an endothermic reaction. It takes in energy from the surroundings, and that energy is light. The energy is stored in the glucose. The plant uses glucose for respiration or stores it as starch, and the oxygen is released as a by-product.
