During carbon fixation, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is attached to ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) by the enzyme ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO).
As a result of this reaction, a 6-carbon intermediate is formed, which is unstable and quickly splits into two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA). This reaction is the first step in the Calvin cycle, which is part of photosynthesis.
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