Photosynthesis — Interactive Diagram
See exactly how a green leaf turns sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into food and oxygen.
TL;DR: See exactly how a green leaf turns sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into food and oxygen.
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Photosynthesis: See exactly how a green leaf turns sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into food and oxygen.
Why it matters: Photosynthesis is how almost all food and oxygen on Earth is made. Its equation and the role of chlorophyll are asked in every board exam.
Photosynthesis — Step by Step
- Sunlight falls on the green leaf. The green pigment CHLOROPHYLL traps this light energy.
- Roots absorb WATER (H₂O) from the soil and tiny pores (stomata) take in CARBON DIOXIDE (CO₂) from the air.
- Inside the chloroplasts, light energy converts CO₂ + water into GLUCOSE (food) and releases OXYGEN (O₂).
- The whole process in one line: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + sunlight → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂.
Quick Notes — the Exam Crux
- Equation: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O --(sunlight, chlorophyll)--> C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂.
- It happens in the chloroplasts, which contain the green pigment chlorophyll.
- Raw materials: carbon dioxide (from air through stomata) and water (from soil through roots).
- Products: glucose (stored as food/energy) and oxygen (released into the air).
- It needs sunlight, so it mainly occurs during the day.
Remember It (Memory Trick)
The recipe: sunlight + water + carbon dioxide → glucose + oxygen, cooked inside the green chlorophyll. "A leaf drinks CO₂ and water, and with sunlight cooks sugar, breathing out oxygen."
Real-Life Example
A peepal or banyan tree cooling a village square is a giant food-and-oxygen factory: every leaf is quietly turning sunlight into the sugar that feeds the tree and the oxygen you breathe.
Test Yourself
Where in the cell does photosynthesis take place?
In the chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll.
Name the raw materials and the products of photosynthesis.
Raw materials: carbon dioxide and water. Products: glucose and oxygen.
Through which tiny pores does a leaf take in carbon dioxide?
The stomata.
📖 Read the full explanation of Photosynthesis →
More Visual Lessons
- The Human Heart & Blood Flow
- The Digestive System
- The Respiratory System
- Plant Cell vs Animal Cell
- Food Chain & Energy Flow
- Reflex Action
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