Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.

Photosynthesis changes sunlight into chemical energy, splits water to liberate O 2, and fixes CO 2 into sugar. Most photosynthetic organisms are photoautotrophs, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from carbon dioxide and water using energy from light.

During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO 2) and water (H 2 O) from the air and soil. Within the plant cell, the water is oxidized, meaning it loses electrons, while the carbon dioxide is reduced, meaning it gains electrons.

Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food. Using sunlight as their power source, they take in water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air. Inside their green leaves, they use these ingredients to create sugar (their food) and release oxygen into the air as a leftover.

Photosynthesis is the process by which carbohydrate molecules are synthesised. It's used by plants, algae and certain bacteria to turn sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy, in the form of sugar. It’s probably the most important biochemical process on the planet.

Photosynthesis is the process plants, algae, and some bacteria use to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. It’s the foundation of nearly all life on Earth, producing the food that feeds ecosystems and the oxygen that fills the atmosphere.

When a photon of light from the sun bounces into a leaf, its energy excites a chlorophyll molecule. That photon starts a process that splits a molecule of water. The oxygen atom that splits off from the water instantly bonds with another, creating a molecule of oxygen, or O 2.

Photosynthesis plays a central role in Earth’s carbon cycle. Every year, terrestrial plants remove an estimated 120 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, offsetting much of the CO₂ released by respiration, decay, and human activity.

The photosynthesis process is the primary way oxygen enters the atmosphere. It is the only biological means on the planet that captures the sun's light energy, changing it into sugars and carbohydrates that provides nutrients to plants while releasing oxygen.

Photosynthesis is incredibly complicated, but can be represented by a straightforward equation of inputs and outputs: It starts with 6 molecules of carbon dioxide and another 6 of water, then uses sunlight to turn them into 6 oxygen molecules and a single sugar.