Photosynthesis

CAUTION: You should be careful with the use of scissors.

During this experiment, you will be able to observe the oxygen production in leaves; you can also find out how quickly plants produce oxygen, and what variables affect photosynthesis.

1. Fill the glass with water.
2. Cut circles or perforate the leaves to obtain 5 pieces of leaf of the same size.
3. Put the pieces of leaves in the water.
4. Add baking soda to the water and stir. In this process, you will observe how the leaves sink to the glass's bottom.

Energy transformation process.

How will we make the leaves float again? During this process, we will observe the process of photosynthesis in its light phase by using the light of a lamp. ATTENTION: It's not the heat.

1. Turn on the lamp and place the glass with the leaves under the lamp.
2. Start measuring time.
3. Record how many pieces of leaf rose to the surface of the cup.

¿Did you know…

• A diferencia de los animales, las plantas y algunos microorganismos sintetizan su propio alimento.
• Photosynthesis has two phases: light and dark. Guess which phase produces the oxygen that allows us to live?

After you finish

• Reuse the water with bicarbonate used in the experiment to clean some surfaces.

You need to know

Photosynthesis comes from the Greek photo, light; sýn, with the union; and thesis, disposition.

Green plants and other microorganisms create their food.. how? They convert solar energy to chemical energy in the presence of water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll. During the light phase of photosynthesis, CO2 molecules react with water molecules and sunlight, creating one sugar molecule and 6 oxygen molecules. Approximately nine photons are needed to convert a CO2 molecule to carbohydrate and O2.

This process consists of capturing radiant energy from the sun and transforming it into active electrons to form organic compounds, such as sugars, and making lipids and proteins from these. In this way, light energy synthesises compounds, such as organic matter and molecular oxygen, from water, carbon dioxide and the mineral salts of nitrates, sulfates and phosphates.

Differentiate between obtaining food between animals and plants (general). What process of photosynthesis focuses on "energy transformation" -solar energy-chemical energy?