The reactants of photosynthesis are carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). These two substances, along with light energy from the sun, 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
. The overall simplified 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 In this process, light energy absorbed by chlorophyll drives the oxidation of water, releasing oxygen and providing electrons and hydrogen ions that reduce carbon dioxide to form glucose
