Question

What is the role of chlorophylls in the biochemical pathways of photosynthesis?

Answer 1

Chlorophyll entraps sunlight that is necessary for carrying out various biochemical reactions taking place during photosynthesis.

Explanation:

Photosynthesis is defined as the photo-chemical process in which carbohydrates are synthesized from raw materials like carbon dioxide and water. It occurs in 2 steps: light reaction and dark reaction.

Light reaction requires light . Energy of photons in sunlight is used for the photolysis or breakdown of `H2O`, resulting in the production of ATPs and `NADPH2` , the reducing power.

Dark reaction does not require light. It simply involves reduction of `CO2` to glucose ( `C6H12O6`), occuring in a series of steps controlled by various enzymes. It can not occur in absence of light as it is dependent upon the end products of light reaction, i.e. ATP and `NADPH2` , though not requiring light directly.

We have seen that the entire process of photosynthesis, occurring in a series of steps, can not occur in absence of light. Chlorophyll pigment thus has crucial role of entrapping sunlight that is absolutely necessary for the process of photosynthesis.