What Does Photosynthesis Produce?

Photosynthesis produces sugar, with oxygen gas as a by-product. The process of photosynthesis is commonly written as: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂. This means that six carbon dioxide molecules and six water molecules are converted by light energy captured by chlorophyll (implied by the arrow) into a sugar molecule and six oxygen molecules. The sugar is eventually converted to energy used by the organism, and the oxygen is released into the environment.