Go back to 3.8 assessment statements
In light dependent reactions, first light energy is converted into chemical energy. The light dependent reactions begin in Photosystem II, which is chlorophyll and the accessory pigments grouped together in large light-harvesting arrays, located in the thylakoids. The electron acceptor for this photosystem is called plastoquinone. At the center of the Photosystem are chlorophyll a, each of which is specialized to absorb a particular wavelength of light. It collects two excited electrons from Photosystem II and then moves away to another position in the membrane. Since plastoquinone is hydrophobic, though it is not in a fixed position it remains within the membrane. When two photons absorb light, the production of one reduced plastoquinone is caused, with one of the chlorophylls at the reaction center having lost two electrons. The chlorophyll passes excited electrons to a chain of electron carriers.
source: http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/11/1/5/7/28989193854624099.png
