light reaction

British  

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 Scientific  

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.

From New York Times

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.

From Science Magazine

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

From Scientific American