The capturing light of--and producing energy-rich compounds in--a plant are divided into the light reaction and the dark reaction (or light-independent reactions) of photosynthesis.
Once produced, these energy-rich compounds must then migrate to the energy transfer point in the leaf and release their energy to drive the light-independent reactions or dark reaction in the chloroplast stoma to convert carbon dioxide into glucose through a complex series of reactions that all first-year biology students learn as the Calvin Benson cycle.
The light-independent reaction takes considerably longer to occur because it involves migration of the components from the site of production to the site of use.
