Photosynthesis

• Plants use sunlight energy to produce food. The name of this process is photosynthesis.
• It is not only sunlight that is used for photosynthesis though.
• Plants use inorganic substances to produce food and it is the energy from the sunlight which enables these raw materials to react together.
• These materials are carbon dioxide, taken from the air, and water, taken from the soil.
• The equation showing the products of photosynthesis as well as what is needed is as follows:
• Water + carbon dioxide --> glucose + oxygen
• 6H20 + 6CO2 --> C6H12O6 + 6O2
• When writing the equation, it is usual to put sunlight energy across the arrow to show that this is needed for the reaction to take place