What Is the Photosynthesis Equation?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and cyanobacteria convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose. It occurs in two stages within chloroplasts: the light-dependent reactions (in the thylakoid membranes) capture solar energy to split water molecules, producing oxygen, ATP, and NADPH; the light-independent reactions (the Calvin cycle, in the stroma) use that ATP and NADPH to fix CO₂ into glucose. The overall equation — 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ — is among the most important in biology, as it underpins nearly all food chains and produces the oxygen we breathe.