1. The light independant reaction
Carissa Fletcher

2. This can happen in the dark
• Enzyme controlled
• Located in the stroma of the chloroplast.
• Occurs simultaneously with the light dependent
reaction but it can continue in the dark provided
the necessary raw materials are available (CO2,
NADPH + H+ and ATP)
• Enzyme controlled reaction pathways

3. Advances in technology
• Between 1946 and
1953 Melvin Calvin
was able to utilise
advances in radio
carbon dating with C-
14 to trace pathways
in photosynthesis.
• He later went on to
win the nobel prize
in1961
http://www.physics.arizona.edu/ams/education/prod
uct.htm

4. His experiment- lollipop apparatus
• Green algae, was grown in
continuous cultures, were
placed in the "lollipop" with
the light shining on them.
• Carbon-14 labelled CO2 was
injected into the stream of
non-radioactive CO2 for a
suitable period.
• At the end of which the algae
were killed. The compounds
into which the radioactive
carbon had entered were
analyzed by paper
chromatography. http://www.tokresource.org/tok_classes/biobiobio/biomenu/photosynt
hesis/

5. The Calvin Cycle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_cycle

6. Simplified
http://saburchill.com/chapters/chapters.html

7. The molecules
Glycerate-3-phosphate (GP)
Ribulose biphosphate (RuBP)
Rubisco (The enzyme)
Triose Phosphate (TP)
Other notes ATP is needed to add Hydrogen
ions and electrons to the GP to make it
into a carbohydrate.

8. The ratios
• RUBP is both consumed and produced in
this reaction.
• If 3 molecules are used six TP are
produced.
• 5 of those 6 return to the cycle to
regenerate the RUBP
• 1TP is produced
• To produce one glucose molecule 2 TP
are needed.