Radioactive isotopes are routinely used to investigate processes in living things. In 1941, biologists exposed photosynthesizing cells to water containing a heavy oxygen isotope, designated 18-O. The labelled isotope appears in the oxygen gas released in photosynthesis, demonstrating that the oxygen came from water. Explain where the 18-O would have ended up if the researchers had used 18-O-labelled carbon dioxide.

Biology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List)
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ISBN:9781305389892
Author:Peter J. Russell, Paul E. Hertz, Beverly McMillan
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Chapter8: Photosynthesis
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Radioactive isotopes are routinely used to investigate processes in living things. In 1941, biologists exposed photosynthesizing cells to water containing a heavy oxygen isotope, designated 18-O. The labelled isotope appears in the oxygen gas released in photosynthesis, demonstrating that the oxygen came from water. Explain where the 18-O would have ended up if the researchers had used 18-O-labelled carbon dioxide.

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