Cornelis Van Niel

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Cornelis Van Niel was a scientist who studied photosynthetic bacteria. In the 1930s he introduced the concept that oxygen production is not directly associated with the fixation of carbon dioxide. Aside from the cyanobacteria, bacteria only have one photosystem and use reducing agents other than water. They get electrons from a variety of different inorganic chemicals including sulfide or hydrogen, so for most of these bacteria oxygen is not produced. He also made key discoveries explaining the chemistry of photosynthesis. By studying purple sulfur bacteria and green bacteria he was the first scientist to demonstrate that photosynthesis is a light-dependent redox reaction, in which hydrogen reduces carbon dioxide.