Bioenergetics Intro Flashcards
Different forms of energy: Physics
- Conversion of mass and energy
- Inter-conversion of subatomic particles
- Various energy forms: Light, electrical (including magnetic), mechanical (kinetic and potential), heat, sound, and wave
Different forms of energy: Chemistry
Interactions between atoms through electrons in outer orbit of atoms at various temperature, pressure, pH, and solvent
Different forms of energy: Biochemistry
- Interaction between macromolecules
- Atoms in a similar way as in chemistry, except at normal temperature, pressure, pH, and strictly in aqueous media
What are the states of matter?
- Solid: Cold; Ice crystal liquid
- Liquid - Warm; Water
- Gas - Hot; Steam
- Plasma - Very hot; Nuclei and electrons separated (only protons and neutrons exist; H exists as a proton in this state)
Most of the chemistry in living systems results from the interplay of elections in the outer orbit of which atoms?
C, H, O, N, P, and S
Many of the reactions in biological systems are catalyzed by enzymes and involve the lone pair of electron on which atoms?
N, O, S, and P
What are metabolic pathways?
Sequence of biological reactions that produce one or more specific products
What are metabolites?
The reactant intermediates and products of metabolic pathways
In many complex reactions, what particular groups of atoms are actively involved in the reactions?
Functional groups
Why are cells isothermal systems?
They function at constant temperature and pressure and can only use free energy to do work unlike other systems that can use heat release in the system
What is catabolism also known as?
Degradation
What is catabolism and what is an example of it?
Nutrients and cell constituents that are broken down so as to salvage their components and/or generate energy
- E.g., Plants that acquire free energy from absorbed sunlight and synthesize nutrients that transform the free energy into ATP
What is anabolism also known as?
Biosynthesis
What is anabolism?
Free energy stored in energy-rich compounds like biomolecules and used by cells to synthesize various compounds and ingredients from simpler components
ATP is generated during catabolic reactions and the free energy of ATP hydrolysis is used in synthetic reactions to do what?
To do mechanical work; to produce light or sound; or to conduct neuronal action potentials
HPO42- + ADP <–> ATP + H2O
Energy-generating processes that produce ATP from adenosine diphosphate and a phosphate ion
ATP + H2O <–> ADP + HPO42-
Energy-consuming processes driven by the ATP hydrolysis
How are the anabolic and catabolic processes coupled together?
Through the mediation of the universal biological energy “currency,” ATP
How is the free energy by the catabolic process conserved?
Through the synthesis of ATP from ADP and phosphate or through the reduction of the coenzyme NADP+ to NADPH
What are the five principal characteristics of metabolic pathways?
1) Irreversible
2) Catabolic and anabolic pathways must differ
3 Has an exergonic first committed step
4) Regulated - usually at the first committed step
5) In eukaryotes, they occur in specific cellular components
Explain the first principle characteristic of metabolic pathways.
Irreversible
- Highly exergonic reaction with a large negative free energy change goes to completion
- If such a reaction is part of a multistep pathway, it makes the entire pathway irreversible
Explain the second principle characteristic of metabolic pathways.
Catabolic and anabolic pathways must differ
- If two metabolites are interconvertible, the synthetic route from the first to the second must differ from the route from the second to the first because if metabolite 1 is converted to metabolite 2 by an exergonic process, the conversion of metabolite 2 to metabolite 1 requires that free energy be supplied in order to bring this otherwise endergonic process “back up hill”
- The existence of independent interconversion routes is an independent control of the two processes
Explain the third principle characteristic of metabolic pathways.
Has an exergonic first committed step
- Early in each pathway there is an irreversible exergonic reaction that “commits” the intermediate it produces to continue down the pathway
Explain the fourth principle characteristic of metabolic pathways.
Regulated - usually at the first committed stop
- The first committed step functions too slowly to permit its substrates and products to equilibrate
- Most metabolic pathways are controlled by regulating the enzymes that catalyze their first committed steps
- Efficient to exert control because it prevents the unnecessary synthesis of metabolites further along the pathway when they are not required
Explain the fifth principle characteristic of metabolic pathways.
In eukaryotes, they occur in specific cellular components
- The compartments of the eukaryotic cell allows different metabolic pathways to operate in different locations
What is Earth’s present atmosphere?
Oxidizing atmosphere
What provides the energy requirements of all organisms?
Solar energy (directly or indirectly)
What is solar energy?
Conversion of mass into energy which causes a very large increase in disorder
What does solar plasma consist of?
4 hydrogen nuclei that come together to make helium
- 4 H -> 4He because of photons of visible light by thermonuclear fusion
What is the energy and mass relationship?
E = mc^2
- m is mass
- c is the velocity of light (3x10^8 m/sec)^2
What are thermodynamics?
Relationships among the various forms of energy and how energy affects matter on the macroscopic level as opposed to the molecular level; that is, it deals with amounts of matter large enough for their average properties, such as temperature, and pressure, to be well defined
- Most frequently concerned with describing the conditions under which processes occur spontaneously (by themselves)
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
Energy can be neither created nor destroyed
What is a system?
The part of the universe that is of interest, such as a reaction vessel or an organism
What is an open system?
One that can exchange matter and energy with its surroundings
What is a closed system?
One that can exchange matter energy with its surroundings
What is an isolated system?
One that can’t exchange matter or energy with its surroundings
What is the surrounding?
The rest of the universe
What is an exothermic process (-q/-delta H)?
One in which the system releases heat
What is an endothermic process (+q/+delta H)?
One in which the system gains heat
What is enthalpy?
The measure of total heat present in the thermodynamic system where pressure is constant
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
A spontaneous chemical or physical change is always accompanied by an increase in disorder of the universe
What is a spontaneous process?
The conversion or order to chaos
What is entropy (+delta S)?
A quantitative expression for the randomness or disorder in the system
What is Gibbs free energy?
The required indicator of spontaneity for constant temperature and pressure processes
What does it mean to be exergonic (-delta G)?
Spontaneous process that can be utilized to do work
What does it mean to be endergonic (+delta G)?
Non-spontaneous process driven by the input of free energy
delta G =
delta H - (T)(delta S)
What does it mean to be enthalpically favoured?
Exothermic
What does it mean to be entropically favoured?
Exergonic