Calvin cycle
The
Calvin cycle (also known as
Calvin-Benson cycle) is a series of
biochemical reactions taking place in the
chloroplasts of
photosynthetic organisms. It was discovered by
Melvin Calvin and Andy Benson at the
University of California, Berkeley.
During photosynthesis, light energy has been converted into chemical energy stored in ATP and NADPH. The light-independent Calvin cycle uses the energy from these short-lived energy carriers to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds that can be used by the organism. This set of reactions is also called carbon fixation. The key enzyme of the cycle is called RubisCO.
The total sum of reactions in the Calvin cycle is
- 6CO2 + 12NADPH + 12H2O + 18 ATP → C6H12O6 + 12NADP+ + 18ADP + 18 Pi