Nucleic acids are polymers of individual nucleotide monomers. Each nucleotide is composed of three parts: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. Only two 5-carbon sugars are found in nature: ribose and deoxyribose. 5-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) forms the central molecule in a nucleotide. By convention, the carbon atoms in the sugar are numbered from the original carbonyl position on the chain using a number plus the prime symbol (â).
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. Photosynthesis in green plants harnesses the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, water, and minerals into organic compounds and gaseous oxygen.
In photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide and water, and, with the help of energy from the sun, produce glucose and water. The overall chemical reaction is: 6CO2 + 6H2O (+ light energy) --> C6H12O6 + 6O2. The CO2 that plants need for photosynthesis comes from us. We exhale carbon dioxide.