Q.
PGA as the first CO2 fixation product was discovered in photosynthesis of
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AIPMTAIPMT 2010Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
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Solution:
Calvin, Benson and their colleagues in California, U.S.A. fed Chlorella and Scenedesmus with radioactive ,4C in carbon dioxide. Radioactive carbon, l4C has a half life of 5568 years. Therefore, the path of CO2 fixation can be easily traced with its help. Algal suspension illuminated and carrying out photo- synthesis with normal carbon dioxide was supplied l4CO2. The algae was killed at intervals in near boiling methanol. It immediately stopped photosynthesis activity due to denaturation of enzymes. Alcohol was evaporated and after crushing the alga, the product was made into paste. The paste was placed on paper chromatogram and the different compounds were separated by two dimensional chromatography. The radioactive compounds were identified by comparing their position on the chromatogram with standard chemicals. Calvin and co-workers found that after three seconds, radioactivity appeared in phosphoglyceric acid or PGA. Phosphoglyceric acid is, therefore, the first stable product of photosynthesis.