photosystem II
Oxygen-evolving photochemistry center
Photosystem II is a protein complex in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that captures light energy during photosynthesis.
It splits water molecules to release oxygen and electrons, making it responsible for nearly all the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.
The Roman numeral II reflects the order of discovery, not the sequence in photosynthesis—photosystem II actually acts before photosystem I.
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
- oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
- manganeseTransition metal, element 25
- electronNegative subatomic particle
- antennaBroadcast signal receiver
splitting water · energy transfer · chloroplast · plant cells · sunlight · membrane · oxidation · pigment · green · leaf · ATP · cyanobacteria · quantum · excitation · cytochrome · absorption · wavelength
- photosynthesischlorophyll, chloroplast, chloroplasts, PSI, stroma
- Photosynthesis Proteinschlorophyll
- Cellular Structuresribosome, mitochondria, chloroplast, Golgi apparatus, nucleus
- Electron CarriersNADH, FAD, coenzyme Q10, cytochromes, quinone
- Enzyme Complexescatalase
- Metalloproteinsheme, myoglobin, hemoglobin, iron-sulfur clusters, iron-sulfur cluster
photosystem IIcellular respiration
Cell-level fuel burning
photo, photograph, photography, photographic, photographer, photon, photosynthesis, system, systems