The two main products produced during photosynthesis are glucose (a type of sugar) and oxygen. In the process, carbon dioxide and water are converted into glucose using light energy, primarily from the sun, with oxygen released as a byproduct. The overall simplified equation for photosynthesis can be represented as:
6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂
This means that six molecules of carbon dioxide and six molecules of water, in the presence of light energy, are transformed into one molecule of glucose and six molecules of oxygen.