Photosystem II and Water Splitting

Photosystem II is a multi-protein complex that captures light energy and begins the flow of electrons in photosynthesis. It uses bound pigments to harvest photons and send that energy to its reaction center. From there, the energy continues through the electron transport chain and on to photosystem I.

In plants, the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis occur in the thylakoid  membrane of chloroplasts which houses photosystems PSII and PSI.

PSII, the first multi-protein complex of photosynthesis, absorbs photons and passes their energy through the light-harvesting complex. This complex encompasses many bound pigment molecules suc...