The reactants of photosynthesis are carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O), along with light energy from the sun. These reactants are used by plants to produce glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆) and oxygen (O₂) as products. Specifically, six molecules of carbon dioxide and six molecules of water are required to produce one molecule of glucose and six molecules of oxygen
. In summary, the overall chemical equation for photosynthesis is: 6CO2+6H2O+light energy→C6H12O6+6O26\text{CO}_2+6\text{H}_2\text{O}+\text{light energy}\rightarrow \text{C}6\text{H}{12}\text{O}_6+6\text{O}_26CO2+6H2O+light energy→C6H12O6+6O2 This process occurs in two main stages: the light- dependent reactions, where light energy drives the splitting of water molecules and the generation of ATP and NADPH, and the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle), where carbon dioxide is fixed into organic molecules like glucose
