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History of the word photosynthesis and evolution of its definition

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Abstract

In 1893, Charles Barnes (1858–1910) proposed that the biological process for ‘synthesis of complex carbon compounds out of carbonic acid, in the presence of chlorophyll, under the influence of light’ should be designated as either ‘photosyntax’ or ‘photosynthesis.’ He preferred the word ‘photosyntax,’ but ‘photosynthesis’ came into common usage as the term of choice. Later discovery of anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and photophosphorylation necessitated redefinition of the term. This essay examines the history of changes in the meaning of photosynthesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Howard Gest

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  1. Howard Gest
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Gest, H. History of the word photosynthesis and evolution of its definition. Photosynthesis Research 73, 7–10 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020419417954

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020419417954

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