Using carbon dioxide the chemical formula often given for carbon
fixation is...
6CO2 + 12H2O - C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H20

but in principle, carbon monoxide could be used as follows:

6CO + 12H2O -C6H12O6 + 3O2 + 6H2O

I know the Calvin process is complicated and involves many intermediate
steps (and these intermediate steps may be impossible with CO).

My question: Has any research been done involving plants in an
atmosphere of CO? Or has the assumption been made that it just won't
work?

Thanks.

"Raphanus" wrote in
message
ups.com...
Using carbon dioxide the chemical formula
often given for carbon
fixation is...
6CO2 + 12H2O - C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H20

but in principle, carbon monoxide could be
used as follows:

6CO + 12H2O -C6H12O6 + 3O2 + 6H2O

I know the Calvin process is complicated
and involves many intermediate
steps (and these intermediate steps may be
impossible with CO).

My question: Has any research been done
involving plants in an
atmosphere of CO? Or has the assumption
been made that it just won't
work?

Thanks.


Maybe CO binds with Mg compounds
irreversibly, just as it does with Fe in
heme.

It is the irreversibility that is the
problem.

Could be. What created this thought is the inefficiency of rubisco in
the photosynthesis process
( see
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Pl...War ming.html
)

One contributor to the inefficiency is that rubisco will readily take
in O2 instead of CO2 and the O2 "clogs up" the works and since there is
so much more O2 than CO2, photosynthesis is very slow. That made me
wonder what would rubisco do with CO? A bit of a web search gave no
answer. Thanks for your response.

Peter Jason wrote:
"Raphanus" wrote in
message
ups.com...
Using carbon dioxide the chemical formula
often given for carbon
fixation is...
6CO2 + 12H2O - C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H20

but in principle, carbon monoxide could be
used as follows:

6CO + 12H2O -C6H12O6 + 3O2 + 6H2O

I know the Calvin process is complicated
and involves many intermediate
steps (and these intermediate steps may be
impossible with CO).

My question: Has any research been done
involving plants in an
atmosphere of CO? Or has the assumption
been made that it just won't
work?

Thanks.


Maybe CO binds with Mg compounds
irreversibly, just as it does with Fe in
heme.

It is the irreversibility that is the
problem.