Question

What is the balanced equation for the photosynthesis reaction in which gaseous carbon dioxide and liquid water react in the presence of chlorophyll to produce aqueous glucose `C_6H_12O_6` and oxygen gas?

Answer 1

`6CO_2 + 6H_2O + Delta rarr C_6H_12O_6 + 6O_2`

Explanation:

The `Delta` symbol denotes added energy, here in the form of sunlight. Strong `C=O`, and `O-H` bonds have been broken, and this bond cleavage is only partially energetically compensated by the formation of `C-H` and `O=O` bonds. Hence the reaction is endothermic (energy input on LHS). Note that the reaction is balanced with respect to mass and charge (says he, checking to see whether it is indeed balanced!).