light reaction

noun

1. botany the stage of photosynthesis during which light energy is absorbed by chlorophyll and transformed into chemical energy stored in ATP Compare dark reaction

light reaction

1. Any of the chemical reactions that take place during the first stage of photosynthesis and require the presence of light. During the light reactions, energy captured from light by chlorophyll and its accessory pigments drives the production of ATP, the source of energy that is later used to drive the production of carbohydrates.

2. Compare dark reaction See more at photosynthesis

Example Sentences

But something she had used years earlier had started the reaction and it lived on, long after the trigger was gone, in what is called a persistent light reaction.

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In total, the researchers operated on 230 tadpoles and compared their performance in a light reaction test with similar numbers of intact tadpoles and blinded tadpoles without transplants.

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A simple outline of the process of photosynthesis, showing the light reactions and the Calvin cycle.

Read more on Scientific American