Photosynthesis And Catalyst | Difference

Key Concepts

• Different parts of plants
• Different parts of a leaf
• Photosynthesis
• Sunlight: a catalyst
• Chlorophyll pigment

Introduction

Root, stem, leaf, and flower are the main parts of the plants. 

Root: The root is the part of a plant that absorbs minerals, water, and stores food. 

Stem: A stem is the main stalk. Inside stems, components move via the transporting tissues.  

Leaf: Leaf usually grows from the stem of a plant. This is the site where plants make their food. 

Photosynthesis 

Plants make their food in the leaf. Before going ahead, let us see the structure of a leaf. 

Leaves use energy from the sun, water absorbed by the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air to make food (sugar) for the plant. This food-making process is called photosynthesis. 

Carbon dioxide enters the plant through tiny pores called stomata. These are situated at the bottom of leaves, but stomata are also found on stems in some plants. 

Stomata can open and close to facilitate the entry and exit of carbon dioxide and oxygen. They are also opened to give off excess water in steam form. 

The job of opening and closing a stoma depends on two guard cells that surround it. The guard cells open and close stomata in response to the amount of water and light the plant receives. When a plant has less water, the guard cells will close the stomata to preserve water. 

Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts of cells present in the leaf. Hence, chloroplasts are also known as food factories. 

In most plants, photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts of the cells that are underneath the epidermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer of a leaf. 

In some plants, like cactus plants, photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts of the cells that are on the stem. 

Chloroplasts have chlorophyll, a chemical, green color pigment that absorbs and traps the energy of the sunlight. 

The product formed after photosynthesis is glucose (food) and oxygen. 

Animals, including humans, take oxygen which plants release during photosynthesis, and plants use carbon dioxide, which animals release during respiration.  

Hence, we can say that photosynthesis and respiration are associated with each other. 

The plant uses the sugar as a food which is produced during photosynthesis. The sugar is transferred to all the plant’s cells by the phloem tissue. Most of the oxygen leaves the plant through the stomata as a waste product. 

Absorbing water is easy for some plants. For example, moss leaves soak up water straight from the ground. Most large plants have xylem throughout the plant. Xylem carries water and nutrients from the roots of the plant to the leaves. 

Catalyst 

Catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without participation in the reaction. Due to the presence of a catalyst, the reaction occurs faster than normal. Sunlight and chlorophyll are catalysts. 

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that uses simple chemicals from the surroundings to make food. 

During the photosynthesis, the sunlight and chlorophyll act as a catalyst, help the reaction to occur faster while carbon dioxide and water molecules are used up during the reaction to produce glucose.

Summary:

1. Root, stem, leaf, and flower are the main parts of the plants.
2. Leaves capture and use energy from the sun, water absorbed by the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air to make food (sugar) for the plant. This food-making process is called photosynthesis.
3. The carbon dioxide that plants need to carry out photosynthesis is taken in from the air. It enters the plant through tiny pores called stomata.
4. Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts of cells present in the leaf. Hence, chloroplasts are also known as food factories.
5. Chloroplasts have chlorophyll, a chemical, green color pigment that absorbs and traps the energy of the sunlight.
6. Catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without participation in the reaction. Due to the presence of a catalyst, the reaction occurs faster than normal. Sunlight and chlorophyll are catalysts.