Learning Goals/Objectives for Chapter 8D: 

After class and this reading, students will be able to

• described the mechanistic similarities between mitochondrial oxidative/phosophorylation in which NADH and FADH₂ are regenerated on reduction of O₂ and the light reaction of photosynthesis in which O₂ and a reducing agent, NADPH are produced;
• describe similarities in fluorescence resonance energy transfer and exciton transfer;
• describe the difference in properties between chlorophylls acting as antennae and chlorophylls at the reaction center;
• describe how sunlight driven excitation of chlorophyll molecules at the reaction center produces an oxidzing agent strong enough to oxide water and form O₂, itself a powerful oxidizing agent;
• explain the general flow of electrons from dioxgen to NADP⁺ through a series of mobile and membrane protein bound electron carriers in the Z scheme of electron transport in the chloroplast thylacoid membranes;
• explain with picture diagrams how oxidation of H₂O and phosphorylation reactions (to produce ATP) are coupled in in the Z scheme;