Cellular Respiration Vs. Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by living organisms. The raw materials are carbon dioxide and water; the energy source is sunlight; and the end-products are oxygen and (energy rich) carbohydrates, for example sucrose and starch. This process is arguably the most important biochemical pathway, since nearly all life depends on it. It is a complex process occurring in higher plants, phytoplankton, algae, as well as bacteria such as cyanobacteria. Photosynthetic organisms are also referred to as photoautotrophs.

Cellular respiration describes the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in a cell or across the cell membrane to obtain biochemical energy from fuel molecules and the release of the cells' waste products. Energy is released by the oxidation of fuel molecules and is stored as "high-energy" carriers. The reactions involved in respiration are catabolic reactions in metabolism. Plants use photosynthesis to create the energy they need out of water, nitrogen and CO2 (carbon dioxide) and produce the waste gas oxygen. Most animals use cellular respiration to take in oxygen, and through chemical processes create ATP, then exhaling waste CO2.

Both photosynthesis and cellular respiration transform energy. Photosynthesis transforms the energy of sunlight into glucose in two phases: the light reaction and the Calvin Cycle. In cellular respiration, glucose transforms into ATP for use by the cell in two phases: glycolysis and the oxidation of pyruvic acid. An exchange of gasses is an inherent part of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. During photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen as a result of the reaction. Other organisms, including humans, use that oxygen to drive cellular respiration, which in turn uses oxygen in the reaction to break down glucose, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Electron transport chains and chemiosmosis play roles in the process by which ATP is synthesized during photosynthesis and cellular respiration. 
http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/photosynthesis/page.html

Differences between C3, C4 and CAM plants

C3, C4, and CAM plants all carry out the same photosynthetic functions. They all have light-dependent reactions and the Calvin-Benson cycle. The major difference in C4 and CAM plants is when and where the carbon fixation initially occurs. C3 plants carry out their light-dependent and Calvin-Benson reactions in the same place at the same time: in the mesophyll cells during the day. C4 plants carry out their light-dependent and Calvin-Benson reactions at the same time, but in different places: the light reactions take place in the mesophyll cells while carbon fixation occurs in the bundle sheath cells. CAM, like C3 plants, perform their light-dependent and Calvin-Benson reactions in the same place and at the same time, but they get their carbon from a store they build up overnight.
http://tables-evo-sci.blogspot.com/2007/11/comparison-of-c-3-c-4-cam-plants.html

Macromolecule Structures

I have learned that a monosaccharides is any of the class of sugars that cannot be hydrolyzed to give a simpler sugar. Glucose, for example, is a hexose (6 carbon atoms) of the aldose type. The most stable form of glucose is a 6 atom ring or pyranose (glucopyranose). Sucrose is formed by the linkage of glucose and fructose and is a type of disaccharides. Cellulose is formed by the linkage of D-glucose molecules through glycosidic beta(1-4) bonds and is an example of polysaccharide. Saturated fats only have single bonds between carbons and the formula is H-(CH2)n-COOH. Unsaturated fats have double bonds that force the chain to bend. For example, Oleic acid is an unsaturated fat with 18 carbon atoms and a double bond between carbons 9 and 10. Triacylglycerols (triglycerides) are the result of the linkage of a glycerol molecule with 3 fatty acid molecules, equal or different. For example, 1-palmityl-2-oleyl-3-stearylglycerol.

http://biomodel.uah.es/en/model3/index.htm

Biochemistry Wordle

Chemistry is mostly about electrons and chemical bonds. Valence electron is an electron in the outer shell of an atom (valence shell) which can combine with other atoms to form molecules. For example, the valence electrons of Magnesium is 3s electrons. Electrons, protons, and neutrons are the subatomic particles that are found in an element's atom and it tells us the characteristics of that particular element. For example, Oxygen has a mass number of 16 with atomic number 8 which means there are 8 electrons and 8 protons. The number of neutrons is always equal to the mass number- the atomic number. In this case it is 16 - 8=8. There are two types of chemical bonds: Covalent Bond and Ionic Bond. Covalent Bond is a chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule. An Ionic Bond is a chemical bond in which one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains an electron to form a negative ion.
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4198085/Untitled