Metabolic Processes Flashcards
Kinetic Energy
the energy of motion
Potential Energy
energy that is not being used, but could be; energy in a potential usable form; often called “energy of position”
Thermodynamics
The study of transformations of energy, using heat as the most convenient form of measurement of energy
What work do most living organisms carry out?
Converting potential energy into kinetic energy
Oxidation
Loss of an electron by an atom or molecule; In metabolism, often associated with a gain of oxygen or a loss of hydrogen.
Reduction
gain of an electron
Oxidation-reduction reaction
a type of paired reaction in living systems in which electrons lost from one atom (oxidation) are gained by another atom (reduction). also known as redox
First law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only undergo conversion from one form to another; thus the amount of energy in the universe is unchangeable.
Second law of thermodynamics
a statement concerning the transformation of potential energy into heat. It says that disorder (entropy) is continually increasing in the universe as energy changes occur, so disorder is more likely than order.
Free energy
energy available to do work
activation energy
the energy that must be processed by a molecule in order for it to undergo a specific chemical reaction
how can the rate of reactions be increased
- by increasing the energy of reacting molecules
2. by lowering activation energy
substrate level phosphorylation
it is a way of making ATP by directly transferring a phosphate onto ADP from a phosphate
endergonic reactions
a chemical reaction in which the products contain more energy than the reactants . Energy from an outside source must be put in order for it to proceed.
exergonic reactions
a chemical reaction in which the products contain less free energy than the reactants, so that free energy is released in the reaction
