Answer to Question #190692 in General Chemistry for Kim Alleahrhose

Question

Photosynthesis is the process of making food by which green plants and some

other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. It

transforms the water into oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose.

Given the thermochemical equation for photosynthesis:

6CO2(g) + 6H2O(l)  C6H12O6(s) + 6O2(g) ∆H = 2,803 kJ/mol

1. Find:

a. Calculate the solar energy or the heat required to produce 3,600 g of C6H12O6.

b. Calculate the mass of O2 that is produced in photosynthesis when 32,000 kJ of

solar energy is consumed.

2. Guide Questions:

a. What type of reaction is photosynthesis? Why?

b. What do you call the reversed reaction of photosynthesis? Give its equation.

c. How important is chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis?

Answer 1

1.a) 1.17 x 103 kJ

b) Mass of O2 that is produced=234.7g

2a)Photosynthesis is an endothermic reaction. This means it cannot occur without energy (from the Sun). The light required is absorbed by a green pigment called chlorophyll in the leaves. Chlorophyll is found in chloroplasts in plant cells , particularly the palisade and spongy mesophyll cells .

b)This process - the reverse of photosynthesis is known as respiration. Animals like us need energy which is obtained from sugars. Respiration occurs in the mitochondria of cells. During respiration, sugar is broken down in a chemical reaction with oxygen.

c) Green substance in producers that traps light energy from the sun, which is then used to combine carbon dioxide and water into sugars in the process of photosynthesis Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which helps plants get energy from light.