Distance that an oxygen molecule can travel before another oxygen molecule is generated by the same PSII

Range ~3 µm
Organism Unspecified
Reference Kihara S, Hartzler DA, Savikhin S. Oxygen concentration inside a functioning photosynthetic cell. Biophys J. 2014 May 6 106(9):1882-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.03.031 p.1884 right column 3rd paragraphPubMed ID24806920
Primary Source [45] Forbush, B., Kok, B., and McGloin, M.P. Cooperation of charges in photosynthetic O2 evolution. II. Damping of flash yield oscillation, deactivation. Photochem. Photobiol. 1971 14: 307–321 link
Comments P.1884 right column 3rd paragraph: "Since the oxygen is produced in the oxygen-evolving complex within the photosystem II complex (PSII), one might expect that the local concentration of oxygen in the vicinity of PSII could build up. However, the maximum rate at which PS II can produce oxygen is relatively slow, k ∼ 250 s^−1 (primary source), and [investigators] can estimate the distance that an oxygen molecule can travel before another oxygen molecule is generated by the same PSII as ~(D/k)^0.5≈3µm. This distance is comparable to the size of a bacterial cell itself, implying that the concentration of oxygen near PSII is essentially the same as in the other areas of the cell." Using k=250sec^-1 and D=2,000µm^2/sec (BNID 114984), in the above equation the distance is 2.83µm
Entered by Uri M
ID 114990