Ch. 12: Bioenergetics and Regulation of Metabolism Flashcards
why are biological systems often considered open systems?
because they can exchange both energy and matter with the environment
in the body, how is energy exchanged? how is matter exchanged?
energy is exchanged in the form of mechanical work when something is moved over a distance, OR as heat energy
matter is exchanged through food consumption and elimination, as well as respiration
at what level are most biochemical studies performed?
cellular or subcellular, NOT the entire organism
why are the cellular or subcellular studies considered closed systems?
there is no exchange of matter with the environment
defn: internal energy
the sum of all of the different interactions between and within atoms in a system (vibration, rotation, linear motion, and stored chemical energies all contribute)
how does the fact that the system is closed affect the change in internal energy?
it can come only in the form of work (changes in pressure and volume) or heat
why is heat the only quantity of interest in determining internal energy?
because pressure and volume (which together are work) are constant in most living systems
defn: bioenergetics
the term used to describe energy states in bilogical systems
what information do changes in free energy (G) provide? (2)
- info about chemical reactions
- can predict whether a chem reaction is favorable and will occur
in biological systems, what is the crucial role that ATP plays?
crucial role in transferring energy from energy-releasing catabolic processes to energy-requiring anabolic processes
what determines whether a chemical reaction proceeds?
by the degree to which enthalpy and entropy change during a chemical reaction
defn: enthalpy
measures the overall change in heat of a system during a reaction
what is true about change in enthalpy (H) and thermodynamic heat exchange (Q) at constant pressure and volume?
they are equal
defn: changes in entropy (S)
measure the degree of disorder or energy dispersion in a system
unit: entropy
J/K
eqn + func: Gibbs free energy equation
predicts the direction in which a chemical reaction proceeds spontaneously
char: spontaneous vs. nonspontaneous reactions vs. equilibrium
SPONTANEOUS = proceed forward, exhibit a net loss of free energy, have negative deltaG
NONSPONTANEOUS = would be spontaneous in reverse, have net gain of energy, positive deltaG
APPROACHING EQUILIBRIUM = free energy approaches zero, no net change in concentration of reactants or products
defn: change in free energy vs. change in standard free energy
CHANGE IN FREE ENERGY = predicts changes occurring at any concentration of products and reactants and at any temperature
STANDARD FREE ENERGY = the energy change that occurs at standard concentrations of 1 M, pressure of 1 atm, temperature of 25 deg C
how can change in free energy and change in standard free energy be related? (eqn)
where R is the universal gas constant
T is temperature
Q is the reaction quotient
biochemical analysis works well under all standard conditions except one, what is that one?
pH
values: modified standard state
ΔG°′ indicates that it is standardized to the neutral buffers used in biochem
what is the general trend of the relationship between deltaG and the ratio of products to reactants?
products > reactants tend to have more negative deltaG
reactants > products tend to have more positive deltaG
the human body can make use of different energy sources with roughly the same efficiency, so are all nutrient molecules created equally?
no (i.e fats are more energy-rich than carbohydrates, proteins, or ketones)
value of energy: complete combustion of fat vs. carbohydrates, proteins, or ketones
fat: 9 kcal/g of energy
others: 4 kcal/g