• mesophyll cells

  • chlorophyll

  • carbon dioxide

  • water


The source of oxygen produced during photosynthesis is the splitting of water molecule into hydrogen & oxygen. Although photosynthesis can happen in different ways in different species, some features are always the same. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide & water, releasing oxygen as a waste product. For example, the process always begins when energy from light is absorbed by proteins called photosynthetic reaction centers that contain chlorophylls. In plants, these proteins are held inside organelles called chloroplasts, while in bacteria they are embedded in the plasma membrane. Some of the light energy gathered by chlorophylls is stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The rest of the energy is used to remove electrons from a substance such as water. These electrons are then used in the reactions that turn carbon dioxide into