PhotosynthesisThe Prentice Gallery Chemistry Book defines photosynthesis as “the procedure by which green plants and algae use the radiant energy of the sun to fuse glucose from carbon dioxide and water. » The glory of the discovery of photosynthesis belongs not to a single scientist, but to many scientists who helped refine the concept we know today as photosynthesis. Before describing the process of photosynthesis, I will provide a brief description of several of the important events that led to its discovery. In 1643, Jan Baptista Van Helmont carried out a study in which he observed the development of a willow tree inside a plant pot. From this examination, he surmised that a willow tree derived its nutrients from the water supplied to it. Van Helmont erred in inferring that the physical development of all parts of the tree came solely from the water he added over a five-year period. However, he made the first recording of a biological experiment in which all ingredients were measured precisely and all changes noted precisely. Another scientist who added ...