chron comments on Astrobiology IV: Photosynthesis and energy - Less Wrong

8 Post author: CellBioGuy 17 October 2016 12:30AM

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Comment author: chron 17 October 2016 04:24:11AM 1 point [-]

Stupid technical question. You write:

Oxygen producing photosynthesis, on the other hand, uses water itself as the chemical source of electrons, two H2O for every CO2.

Doesn't the standard equation have one H2O for every CO2?

Comment author: CellBioGuy 17 October 2016 05:53:02AM *  1 point [-]

Yes, but two of the hydrogens/electrons ripped from water in the process of photosynthesis effectively reduce one of the oxygens from the CO2, regenerating one water: 2 H2O + CO2 -> O2 + CH2O + H2O (multiply atom numbers by various numbers to get the actual biomolecules that comes out the other side of the various carbon fixation pathways). Still needed since the oxygen production all happens from the photosystems splitting water rather than from splitting CO2, the photosystems never touch the carbon directly. That water is produced no matter what you're using as your electron donor.