Chapter 6: Energy and Metabolism Flashcards
Thermodynamics
branch of chemistry concerned with energy changes
Energy
the capacity to do work
Kinetic energy
energy of motion
Potential energy
stored energy
What is the most convenient way of measuring energy?
heat energy
One calorie
the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water 1 degree C
Does breaking bonds between atoms require or release energy?
require energy
Oxidation
when an atom or molecule loses an electron
Reduction
when an atom or molecule gains an electron; more energy than oxidized form
First Law of Thermodynamics
- energy cannot be made or destroyed
- energy can change from one form to another
- the total amount of energy in the universe is constant
What happens to some of the energy when it is converted
it leaves as heat (random motion of molecules)
Where do organisms acquire energy from to carry out cellular work?
- the sun
- chemical bonds
Work
anything that requires atoms to be moved around by cellular reaction
Gibbs Free Energy
a measurement of the amount of “useful” energy that a system can use for doing work
Where does most of the biological source of energy come from at a cellular level?
rearranging of atoms from higher energy compounds to lower energy compounds
Formula for change in free energy
Δ G = ΔH -TΔS
G = free energy
H = Enthalpy (energy stored in a substance)
T = Temperature
S = Entropy
Exergonic reactions
- release of energy (matter converted from higher energy arrangements to lower energy arrangements)
- happens spontaneously
- change in free energy is negative
- more free energy
- less stable
- greater work capacity
Example of exergonic reaction
Cellular respiration
- glucose is being broken down to make ATP
- energy is being released
C6H12O6 + O2 –> 36ATP + CO2 + H2O
Endergonic reactions
- require the input of energy to occur (matter is converted from lower energy arrangements to higher energy arrangements)
- does NOT occur spontaneously
- change in free energy is positive
- less free energy
- more stable
- less work capacity
Example of endergonic reaction
Photosynthesis
ATP + CO2 + H2O –> C6H12O6 + O2
How do biological systems use exergonic reactions?
- provide the free energy needed to undergo endergonic reactions
Second Law of Thermodynamics
- any closed system will tend toward a state of maximum entropy (randomness)
- parts of the universe can still function as an “open” system
- energy can be used to decrease entropy
How is life highly ordered?
- organisms use the energy they convert to power cellular processes that can decrease or delay overall entropy
- increases entropy of surroundings
- organism uses energy input to maintain/increase order
Closed systems
- inexorably tend toward an absence of free energy
- they reach at a state of equilibrium between input and outputs
- inevitably dull
Open systems
- will not reach equilibrium as long as the processes of the system receive inputs and produce outputs
- usually inputs
- life is an open system
- no limit to complexity of open system
When does an organism reach equilibrium?
when it is dead