While reading through a book I came across the equation for photosynthesis. It was represented like this:
6CO2**(aq)** + 12H2O(l) ----> C6H12O6(aq) + 6O2**(aq)** + 6H2O(l) (in the presence of sunlight +chlorophyll)
For some reason it seems counter-intuitive to me. I always thought that CO2 would be present in the gaseous state. Similarly, O2 is released, so I always thought that it would be in the gaseous state. I'm not able to understand why there are aqueous labels next to O2 and CO2. Does the CO2 get converted upon reaching the cell or something?
Some clarification will be appreciated. Spent hours searching for possible explanations but couldn't come across any. Thanks in advance!