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This word is taken from two Greek words, photos, which means light, and synthesis, which in chemistry means making a substance by combining simpler substances. So, in the presence of light, synthesis of food is called 'photosynthesis'. Noncyclic photophosphorylation through light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis at the thylakoid membrane.
In general outline, photosynthesis is the opposite of cellular respiration: while photosynthesis is a process of reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates, cellular respiration is the oxidation of carbohydrates or other nutrients to carbon dioxide. Nutrients used in cellular respiration include carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids.
This term is most commonly used to refer to the energy-storing monosaccharides produced by photosynthesis in the leaves of plants. [1] Only NADPH, ATP and water are made in the "light" reactions. Monosaccharides, though generally more complex sugars, are made in the "dark" reactions.
When a few (around three to six) monosaccharides are joined, it is called an oligosaccharide (oligo-meaning "few"). These molecules tend to be used as markers and signals, as well as having some other uses. [39] Many monosaccharides joined form a polysaccharide. They can be joined in one long linear chain, or they may be branched.
Carbohydrate synthesis is a sub-field of organic chemistry concerned with generating complex carbohydrate structures from simple units (monosaccharides). The generation of carbohydrate structures usually involves linking monosaccharides or oligosaccharides through glycosidic bonds, a process called glycosylation. Therefore, it is important to ...
Two monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, can be joined together (to form saccharose) using dehydration synthesis. The new molecule, consisting of two monosaccharides, is called a disaccharide .
Monosaccharides can be linked together by glycosidic bonds, which can be cleaved by hydrolysis. Two, three, several or many monosaccharides thus linked form disaccharides, trisaccharides, oligosaccharides, or polysaccharides, respectively. Enzymes that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds are called "glycoside hydrolases" or "glycosidases".
Glycogenesis refers to the process of synthesizing glycogen. [12] In humans, glucose can be converted to glycogen via this process. [2] Glycogen is a highly branched structure, consisting of the core protein Glycogenin, surrounded by branches of glucose units, linked together.