Ch. 2 Flashcards
What is bioenergetics?
Energy conversion in biological systems
- Observed in photosynthesis
What is the importance of chemical energy?
- Used by organisms to perform work
- Essential for cell survival
- Usually obtained from the environment
What are the different types of work?
- Osmotic
- Chemical
- Mechanical
What is osmotic work?
Maintains varying [solute] across biological membranes
- Na+/K+ pump
What is chemical work?
Biosynthesis (anabolic) and degradation (catabolic) of organic molecules
What is mechanical work?
Muscle contraction in animals
What are redox reactions?
- Series of linked oxidation-reduction reactions
- Transfer electrons from one compound to another in sequential fashion
- Used in processes where chemical work is performed and energy is made
What is reduction vs oxidation?
Reduction: gain of electrons (GER)
- Increase in number of hydrogens
- Decrease in number of bonds to oxygen
- Becomes more negative
Oxidation: loss of elections (LEO)
- Decrease in number of hydrogens
- Increase in number of oxygens
- Becomes more positive
What is a system (thermodynamics)?
Collection of matter in a defined space
What are the surroundings (thermodynamics)?
All the space not included in the system
What are the types of systems?
- Open = matter and energy are freely exchanged with the surroundings
- Closed = only energy is exchanged with the surroundings
- Isolated = neither matter nor energy is exchanged with the surroundings
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
- Energy can be neither created nor destroyed
- Can only be converted from one form to another
- Energy has an effect on enthalpy (H)
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
All spontaneous processes in the universe tend toward disorder (entropy, S) in the absence of energy input
What is exothermic vs endothermic?
- Exothermic: reaction releases heat (feels hot), -ΔH
- Endothermic: reaction absorbs heat (feels cold), +ΔH
What is entropy?
Measure of disorder
- Increases when there is more dispersal of energy in a system
- Ex. protein to amino acids
What is Gibbs free energy?
- The difference between enthlapy (H) and the entropy (S) at a given temp
- ΔG = ΔH - TΔS
- (Standard conditions are 298K and 1atm)
- ΔG = ΔH - TΔS
- For biochemocal standar conditions: (pH = 7, H2O constant [55M])
- ΔG’ = ΔH - TΔS