Science & TechHow it works
How a leaf builds sugar out of air and light.
Chlorophyll captures light and uses it to split water, releasing the oxygen you breathe. The captured energy squeezes carbon dioxide from the air into sugar: 6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O become glucose and 6 O₂. Most of a tree's mass therefore comes from the air, not the soil.
Useful: Nearly every calorie you eat was once assembled from sunlight inside a leaf.
Source: en.wikipedia.org