Photosynthetic flora and microfauna utilize light from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen. While these carbohydrates and their derivative hydrocarbons are generally considered to be fuels, it is the thermodynamically energetic oxygen molecule that traps, stores, and provides almost all of the energy that powers life on earth.
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Citation
Weiss, Hilton M. J. Chem. Educ.2008, 85, 1218.
Keywords
Bioenergetics; First-Year Undergraduate / General; General Public; High School / Introductory Chemistry; Metabolism; Misconceptions / Discrepant Events; Organic Chemistry; Oxidation / Reduction; Photosynthesis; Physical Chemistry; Textbooks / Reference Books; Thermodynamics
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