Are heat and photon the same thing?

[jerryyu]

http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/03/scientists-claim-they-can-steal-electricity-from-algaes-photosynthetic-electrons.html

 

According to the article, when algae absorbs sunlight, they generate electrons. But all that sunlight is is heat energy, so by providing heat to the algae, it generates electrons?

[Fuzzwood]

Photons are not heat. Photons are packets of energy. Only interaction with atoms can generate heat but doesnt always have to be the case.

[Horza2002]

The algea do NOT generate electrons. The electrons are already there, they are just excited to a state where they become accessible for capture and use. In chlorophyl, I think the electrons are excited out of a magnesium atom before being captured and used to drive further reactions

[swansont]

In the case of the sun, they are an example of radiant heat, since they are emitted from a blackbody source — the reason they exists is because of a temperature differential. But as Fuzzwood says, photons are not the same as heat. Plenty of photons are created from processes that are not due to a temperature differential, and you can get energy to transfer in convection and conduction. Also, heat is not an object or substance.

[jerryyu]

The algea do NOT generate electrons. The electrons are already there, they are just excited to a state where they become accessible for capture and use. In chlorophyl, I think the electrons are excited out of a magnesium atom before being captured and used to drive further reactions

 

If the algae do not generate electrons and the electrons are there already. Are you saying that after all the electrons are used up, then the algae will die since there will be no electrons available for further reaction?

[swansont]

Electrons do not get "used up." Charge and lepton number are conserved, so in chemical reactions the number of electrons in a system is constant. Ionization is typically followed by recombination after a very short interval. Current flow, as described in the article, requires a closed loop. One electron out, one electron back in.

[Horza2002]

Its been a while since ive studied photosynthesis, but as I remember, once the electrons are excited out of the magnesium atom, they are captured by proteins which are then used to drive reactions to make sugars. Eventually, new electrons are used to replace those removed from the magnesium so that the process can carry on again.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis