Photosynthesis is the central biochemical reaction that enables life on Earth. It is a complex and difficult to understand sequence of reactions among various proteins in plant cells and certain bacterial cells. In photosynthesis, solar energy is captured and progressively harvested by the movement and energy changes of electrons and by proton pumping. These electrons and protons are derived from hydrogen sourced from water molecules. Oxygen molecules (O2), are released into the atmosphere. The energy trapped by photosynthesis is used to build organic molecules from carbon dioxide (CO2) sourced from the atmosphere. In this way, photosynthesis absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen in a neat converse to respiration which burns oxygen to release carbon dioxide.
