The light-independent stage of photosynthesis takes place in the stroma of chloroplasts.

The reactants of the light-independent stage are carbon dioxide, ATP, and reduced NADP.

The product of the light-independent stage is glucose (or other organic molecules).

The light-independent reactions are a series of reactions in photosynthesis where carbon dioxide is fixed and glucose is produced.

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, otherwise known as rubisco (RuBisCO), catalyses the reaction between carbon dioxide and RuBP.

The first step in the light-independent stage is the reaction of carbon dioxide with a five-carbon (5C) compound called ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) to form an unstable six-carbon (6C) intermediate.

The 6C compound breaks down, forming two three-carbon (3C) glycerate-3-phosphate (GP) molecules.

The carbon dioxide is now said to be 'fixed'.

Energy from ATP and protons and electrons from reduced NADP are used to reduce GP to a phosphorylated three-carbon sugar, triose phosphate (TP).

Most TP is used to regenerate RuBP, using ATP from the light-dependent reaction.

The rest is used to produce other organic molecules needed by the plant.

1. Fixation - carbon dioxide is fixed to form glycerate-3-phosphate (GP)
2. Reduction - GP is reduced to triose phosphate (TP) using protons and electrons from reduced NADP and energy from ATP
3. Regeneration - ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) is regenerated from TP and energy from ATP

During the light-independent reaction, NADP is re-formed and goes back to the light-dependent reaction to be reduced again.

1. Starch
2. Sucrose
3. Cellulose
4. Glucose
5. Lipids
6. Amino acids
7. Nucleotides