This is the first stage of the Calvin Cycle.
Formation of glycerate 3-phosphate
- Carbon dioxide enters the leaf through the stomata and diffuses into the stroma of the chloroplast.
- Here, it's combined with ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP)
- This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme Rubisco.
- This gives an unstable 6-carbon compound, which quickly breaks down into two molecules of a 3-carbon compound called glycerate 3-phosphate (GP).
The Equation For This
[katex] RuBP(5C)+CO_2 space underset{longrightarrow}{tinytext{rubisco}} space text{ unstable } 6C text{ compound} rightarrow 2 times GP(3C) [/katex]