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Saturday, February 19, 2022

Photosynthesis :- Role of water, Arnon's concept and Ruben Kamen Reaction

 

Q. 5: Write a note on Hill’s reaction.           

     Give an account of photolysis of water.

     ‘‘Hill’s experiment does not prove that the source of oxygen evolved during photo synthesis is water.”  This statement is true or false? Explain.

     Give the significance of photolysis of water.

Ans.: 1) Splitting of water molecules into its components i.e. H+ and OH ions in the presence of light and chlorophyll is called as photolysis of water.

2) It is one of the important reactions in photosynthesis and its experimental proof was given by Robert Hill in 1937.

3) He stated that during photosynthesis water molecule splits up into H+ and OH ions.

4) He used isolated chloroplast from unicellular algae chlorella in CO2 free water, ferric salt (Fe3+) as hydrogen acceptor and haemoglobin as oxygen carrier.

5) He carried out photosynthesis and observed the splitting of water molecules. Ferric salt (Fe3+) reduced to ferrous salt. (Fe2+) and haemoglobin to oxyhaemoglobin.

i)          4H2O 4H + 4OH 

ii)    4H+ + 4OH 4H+ 4e + 2H2O + O2

He used suitable hydrogen accepter for his experiment “A”, where “A” is Hill’s oxidant.

6) Hill’s reaction can be represented as follows;

        2H2O + 2A2AH2 + O2 

Where `A’ is Hill’s oxidant.

7) Significance of photolysis of water: -   

i)  Splitting of water molecules is observed.

ii)     Oxygen is released as by-product.

iii)    Water acts as hydrogen donor.;

iv)    Assimilatory power of photosynthesis i.e. NADPH2 is produced.

v) Loss of electrons of PS-II or P680 in non – cyclic photophosphorylation is compensated by photolysis of water.

D) Arnon’s concept:

(1) Arnon, discovered the nature of Hill’s oxidant as NADP i.e. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide phosphate:

(2) Arnon coined the term “Assimilatory power’ for photosynthesis as ATP and NADPH2.

    2H2O + 2NADP----------2NADPH2 + O2 

E) Ruben, Kamen and Randall reaction:

(1) These three-scientist confirmed water as a source of oxygen during photosynthesis.

(2) They used isotope tracer technique in their experiment. They used two isotopes of oxygen as O16 and O18



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