Metabolism: Enzymes and Energy Flashcards
Potential Energy
Stored energy waiting to do its work - capacity to do work is not being use
Kinetic Energy
Energy at work, or the energy of movement
Cells and the flow of energy
Under the right conditions, energy can be transferred form one type to another
Metabolism
The sum of all chemical reactions in the cell
Anabolism
Reactions that synthesize complex molecules from simple molecules
Catabolism
Reactions that breakdown complex molecules to simple molecules
Reactants
The substances that start chemical reactions
Products
The substances that form as a result of chemical reactions
Exergonic Reactions
Chemical reactions that release energy
How is energy transferred from the exergonic reaction to the endergonic reaction?
by the energy carrier molecule ATP
Where do endergonic reactions get their input energy from?
The exergonic reactions they are coupled to
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
The energy of chemical fuel molecules must be transferred into ATP in an exgeronic chemical reaction
Second and third phosphate bonds of ATP are unstable
When this phosphate bond is broken by hydrolysis, energy is released - product is ADP and phosphate
Metabolic Pathway
Series of linked chemical reactions that begin with a particular reactant and terminates with an end product
metabolic pathways must be tightly regulated for our cells to function
- Cells couple endergonic chemical reactions with exergonic chemical reactions
- Cells have energy carrier molecules that capture energy released in exergonic reactions and transport it to endergonic reactions
- Cells regulate chemical reactions using enzymes, which are protein catalysts
