Final answer:
During photosynthesis, complex carbohydrates such as glucose are synthesized from simple inorganic substances, and oxygen is released as a byproduct. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GA3P) is the initial carbohydrate product which can then form glucose.
Step-by-step explanation:
The complex substances that are built during photosynthesis are energy-storing sugar molecules, most notably glucose (C6H12O6). These sugars are the primary source of energy for cells in living organisms. The simplest form of carbohydrate produced at first is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GA3P), which can then be converted into glucose, sucrose, and other sugar molecules. Photosynthesis also results in the production of oxygen (O2) as a byproduct. The overall chemical equation for photosynthesis is 6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2, which summarily represents the transformation of carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, using sunlight as the energy source.
Within this process, the light harvesting complex plays a crucial role by capturing energy from sunlight and transferring it to the reaction center in each photosystem. This results in the creation of ATP and NADPH during the light-dependent reactions which provide the necessary energy for synthesizing the high-energy sugar molecules.