How do chloroplasts work?

Chloroplasts are able to capture solar energy to perform photosynthesis, the reduction of carbon dioxide to simple carbohydrates. This process entails a series of reactions that result in the chemical splitting of water and the release of oxygen into the environment. During the light phase, chlorophyll molecules absorb energy from light and their electrons become energized. These excited electrons pass energy from one chlorophyll molecule to another, resulting in the production of ATP and a special nucleic acid-type carrier known as NADPH. This molecule carries the electrons to the next stage of photosynthesis, the dark phase. The dark reactions manufacture sugars using the energy stored during NADPH and ATP. The conversion of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere into carbon atoms in living organisms is called carbon fixation.

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