Unit 6 Flashcards
metabolism
totality of an organism’s chemical reactions
metabolic pathway
series of chemical reactions that build or break a complex molecule
catabolic pathway
releases energy by breaking down complex molecules
anabolic pathway
consumes energy to build complex molecules from simpler ones
bioenergetics
the study of how energy flows through living organisms
energy
the capacity to cause change, and perform work
kinetic energy
the energy of motion
thermal energy
the total amount of kinetic energy due to random movement of atoms and molecules
work
the movement of matter against opposing forces like gravity and friction
heat
thermal energy transferred from 1 body of matter to another
light
energy that is harnessed to perform work
potential energy
energy that matter possesses b/c of location or structure
Ex: a rock on top of a mountain
chemical energy
the potential energy available for release in a chemical reaction
Ex: the rock rolling down the mountain
thermodynamics
the study of energy transformations
open system
energy and matter can be transferred between the system and its surroundings
Ex: organisms
isolated system
exchange with the surroundings cannot occur
1st law of thermodynamics
energy can be transferred and transformed but cannot be created nor destroyed
2nd law of thermodynamics
every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe
entropy
molecular disorder
spontaneous process
occurs without energy input and can happen quickly or slowly. It must increase the entropy of the universe.
nonspontaneous process
a decrease in entropy and the energy must be supplied
free energy
the portion of a system’s energy does that does work when the temp and pres are uniform
negative delta g=
spontaneous reactions
delta g = g(final state) - g(initial state)
the change in free energy
