Back
Home
2.2 explain that, building on the evidence from earlier investigations, Mayer concluded that plants convert light energy to chemical energy
explain that, building on the evidence from earlier investigations, Mayer concluded that plants convert light energy to chemical energy
- Scientists before Mayer had shown that plants, in the presence of sunlight, used water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and increased their weight (grew) in the process. Mayer hypothesised that the sunlight provided the initial source of energy that was turned into chemical energy and used to make organic matter. Mayer used this information to formulate a crude equation for photosynthesis:
CO2 + H2O + sunlight → O2 + organic matter