Thermodynamics and Enzymes Flashcards
Define thermodynamics.
Biological systems exists within the universe,
therefore Biological systems obey thermodynamic law
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed from one kind of energy to another”
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
“The entropy of an isolated system never decreases”
Define energy
commonly defined as the capacity to do work or transfer heat
Define work
energy used to cause an object with mass to move
Define heat
energy used to cause the temperature of an object to increase
Define kinetic energy
The energy of motion
Define potential energy
an object may possess potential energy by virtue of its position relative to other objects
Energy is put into a…
…system - which causes reactions to take place
Everything outside of the system is the…
…surroundings
In chemical reactions, the reactants and products are the…
…system
…the container and everything beyond it are the…
…surroundings
Energy can be transformed from…
…potential energy to kinetic energy.
Energy can also be transferred back and forth between…
…a system and its surroundings
Any energy that is lost by the system must be…
…gained by the surroundings and vice
versa
What letter represents internal energy?
U
What is internal energy?
Internal energy of a system is the sum of all the kinetic and potential energies of all of its components
What does the delta symbol represent?
Change in
What do we hope to know in regards to U (internal energy)?
change in U (Delta U) that accompanies a change in the system
Equation for change in U (delta U)?
Change in U (delta U) = U final - U initial
When delta U is positive…
…U final is greater than U initial
indicating that the system has
gained energy from the surroundings
When delta U is negative…
…U final is less than U initial
indicating that the system has lost
energy to the surroundings
Gaining energy from surroundings is an …
…endothermic process.
Losing energy to the surroundings is an…
…exothermic process.