RESPIRATION AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS

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RESPIRATION AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS

18- And the dawn as it breathes. 
81-The Rolling, 18 

The verb to breathe is a term originally used to describe the process in which 
many living organisms take in oxygen from their surroundings and give out carbon 
dioxide. But what has respiration to do with the dawn? What brings together 
these two seemingly incongruous subjects? Does something new happen in the 
daylight different from the night? These questions were bound to remain 
unanswered until the time the process of photosynthesis came to light, the 
synthesis of simple carbon hydrates like glucose and starch from carbon dioxide 
and water, with the liberation of oxygen, using the energy of light, in green 
plants chlorophyll being the energy transformer. Nutriments of high-energy 
content formed as a result of this process, called photosynthesis, are stored in 
tissues while oxygen is given out. Briefly stated, photosynthesis is a 
metabolism process in contradistinction with respiration. During respiration, 
carbon hydrates mix with oxygen, breaking down into the component elements of 
water and carbon dioxide; the end products of the reactions during respiration 
are the primary substances of photosynthesis. 

This phenomenon takes place only during the day. Photosynthesis is dependent on 
the energy of light and cannot be realized in the dark. When the ?dawn breaks? 
as described in the verse, light shines and oxygen, the sine qua non of 
respiration, begins to be given out by plants. This makes clear the reason of 
juxtaposition of words ?breathe? and ?dawn? in the verse. 


WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THERE BEEN NO PHOTOSYNTHESIS?
Energy is absolutely necessary for living organisms. This energy, which 
contributes to the functioning of our muscles and heart, and plays an important 
role in the chemical reactions of our body, is supplied by animal products and 
vegetables. The primary source of the energy contained in nutriments is the sun. 
At night, the sun?s rays do not reach us. The ?dawn? is the time these rays 
begin to reach the earth. The plants that receive those rays transform this 
light energy into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. 
Regeneration and growth of plant tissues depend on this energy. While the plant 
continues to grow using this energy, it stores some of it in the form of 
chemical energy. A man or an animal that consumes this plant receives the energy 
it contains. This perpetuates the chemical reactions in their bodies and stores 
energy in their tissues. Consequently, the energy we derive from animal products 
and plants is the energy coming from the sun through the plants, forming the 
initial stage of nourishment. Had there been no process that enriched the oxygen 
in the air, the oxygen available in the atmosphere would have been exhausted by 
now. Thanks to this process that begins at dawn can we breathe. At the time of 
the descent of the Quran, people knew nothing about photosynthesis or 
transformation of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or again, about 
the role played by the sun?s rays in the realization of this process. The 
establishment of such a connection between the dawn and respiration in this 
verse astounds us once again. 

Energy is absolutely necessary for all biochemical processes fundamental to 
living organisms. The energy is the result of the breaking down into elements of 
nutriments stored in the cells. When they come into contact with oxygen during 
this process, the chemical energy stored in molecules of the nutriment is 
released. This is a reaction similar to the phenomenon that takes place when a 
piece of wood kindled gives out heat and light. So the act of respiration must 
not be considered exclusively as an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, but 
as a more complex process that forms the basic energy source of plants and 
animals. 

Had God not created the various requirements for photosynthesis, such as, for 
instance, the chlorophyll necessary for the plants? realization of 
photosynthesis, not a single organism would survive. Like many phenomena in the 
universe, photosynthesis, the transformation of oxygen and carbon dioxide 
necessary for respiration, is a part of the great and perfect design. 

Knowledge of photosynthesis is of fairly recent origin. Scientists have 
conducted major research projects; among others, those of the team headed by 
Melvin Calvin, an American chemical engineer, are of great import. This team was 
awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1961. 

The photosynthesis that enables us to breathe and supply oxygen can be 
epitomized as follows: 

Light energy (coming from the sun) + Carbon dioxide (coming from the air) + 
Water = Chemical energy + Oxygen. 

The chemical formula is: 

Light + 6CO2 + 6H2O = C6H12O6 (Glucose) + 6O2 


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