Photosynthesis is one of the more famous science words and processes. It is the process in which specialized living organisms can convert carbon dioxide, water and energy (i.e. sunlight) into sugar and oxygen. Notice that from the equation there are no inputs from soil mass. Thus, the growth of a plant can be done using air and water. Nutrients from the soil are needed in order for the plant to thrive, but plant growth is mainly from air and water and not from turning soil mass into plant tissue. One of the most important consequences of photosynthesis for oxygen breathing life is that the photosynthetic process adds enormous amounts of oxygen to the air. Oxygen is an important “waste product” of the photosynthetic process. It is the photosynthetic process that long ago in Earth’s history converted an oxygen poor atmosphere to an oxygen rich atmosphere. One organism’s waste is another organism’s critical survival ingredient and this is such the case with oxygen. From the equation in can be seen how important carbon dioxide, water and sunlight are for the survival of plants and photosynthetic organisms. These reactants form the products of sugars which can produce energy and growth. The oxygen and plant foods produced from the photosynthetic process also allows a whole new set of oxygen breathing organisms to thrive. Below is the famous photosynthesis equation showing the balanced equation with the reactants and products.  |