Photosynthesis Question 90

90. Which technique has helped in investigation of Calvin cycle?

(a) X-ray crystallography

(b) X-ray technique

(c) Radioactive isotope technique

(d) Intermittent light

Show Answer

Answer : c

Hints & Solution

(c) In 1954-55 Calvin traced the pathway of carbon fixation using radioactive isotope method and discovered the Calvin cycle. The 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the Russian-born, American scientist Melvin Calvin, for his discovery of the metabolic processes involved in photosynthesis, the assimilation of carbon dioxide in plants. During the 1950 s, Calvin and his colleagues, using C14-radiolabelled $CO_2$, had elucidated the principal reactions by which the green alga Chlorella synthesises glucose from carbon dioxide and water, using the energy of light. These reactions were termed the Calvin Cycle.