In order to understand the basic inorganic materials used during photosynthesis, we need to examine the process of photosynthesis itself.
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy, usually from the Sun, into chemical energy stored in molecules. This process can be summarized by the following chemical equation:
[tex]\[6CO_2 + 6H_2O + light \ energy \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2\][/tex]
From this equation, we can identify the reactants (the starting materials) and the products (the end materials):
- The reactants are [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] (carbon dioxide) and [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] (water).
- The products are [tex]\(C_6H_{12}O_6\)[/tex] (glucose, a type of sugar) and [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex] (oxygen).
Given this information, we need to determine which pair of materials from the provided options is used during photosynthesis. We are looking for materials that are used as reactants, not products.
1. [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] and [tex]\(C_6H_{12}O_6\)[/tex]: [tex]\(C_6H_{12}O_6\)[/tex] is a product, not a reactant.
2. [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex] and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex]: [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex] is a product, not a reactant.
3. [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex]: Both [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] (water) and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] (carbon dioxide) are reactants used in photosynthesis.
4. [tex]\(C_6H_{12}O_6\)[/tex] and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex]: [tex]\(C_6H_{12}O_6\)[/tex] is a product, not a reactant.
Therefore, the basic inorganic materials used during photosynthesis are water ([tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex]) and carbon dioxide ([tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex]).
The correct answer is:
3) [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] and [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex].
