Photosynthesis — How Plants Make Their Food

The equation

Carbon dioxide + Water  →(sunlight, chlorophyll)→  Glucose + Oxygen.

What each ingredient does

• Sunlight — the energy source.
• Chlorophyll — the green pigment that captures light.
• Carbon dioxide — taken in through tiny leaf pores called stomata.
• Water — pulled up from the roots.

Where it happens

Mostly in the leaves, inside structures called chloroplasts.

Why it matters

Photosynthesis makes the glucose that feeds the plant — and releases the oxygen that almost all living things breathe. It is the start of nearly every food chain.

Exam tip: be ready to name the raw materials, the products, and the two essentials (sunlight + chlorophyll).