RuBisCO
Overview
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
involved in the first major step of carbon fixation
Carbon fixation
In biology, carbon fixation is the reduction of carbon dioxide to organic compounds by living organisms. The obvious example is photosynthesis. Carbon fixation requires both a source of energy such as sunlight, and an electron donor such as water. All life depends on fixed carbon. Organisms that...
, a process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
is converted by plants to energy-rich
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
s such as glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
. RuBisCo is an abbreviation for Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. In chemical terms, it catalyzes the carboxylation
Carboxylation
Carboxylation in chemistry is a chemical reaction in which a carboxylic acid group is introduced in a substrate. The opposite reaction is decarboxylation.-Carboxylation in organic chemistry:In organic chemistry many different protocols exist for carboxylation...
of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate is an organic substance that is involved in photosynthesis. The anion is a double phosphate ester of the ketose called ribulose. Salts of this species can be isolated, but its crucial biological function involves this colourless anion in solution...
(also known as RuBP).
