Energy and life

16 important questions on Energy and life

What is a catabolic pathway?

a metabolic pathway that release energy by breaking down complex molecules to simpler compounds (like cellular respiration)

What is an anabolic pathway?

consume energy to build complicated molecules from simpler ones
examples synthesis of amino acids or synthesis of protein.

What is kinetic energy?

relative motion of objects. moving objects can perform work by imparting motion to other matter.
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What is thermal energy?

kinetic energy associated with the random movement of atoms or molecules. energy transfer from one to the other object is called heat.

What is a spontaneous process?

a given process, by it selfs, leads to an increase in entropy, that process can proceed without requiring an input of energy.

What is an exergonic reaction?

proceeds with a net release of free energy ( delta G is negativ, thus occurs spontaneously)

What is an endergonic reaction?

absorbs free energy from its surroundings (delta G =positive it stores free energy)

Which three kinds of main works does a cell?

chemical work: pushing endergonic reaction that would not occur spontaneously.
transport work: pumping substances across membranes against the direction of spontaneous movement.
mechanical work: contraction of muscle cells, and the movement of chromosomes during cellular reproduction.

What is energy coupling?

use of an exergonic process to drive an endergonix one.

How is ATP regenerated?

-by the addition of phosphate to ADP.
-free energy required to phosphorylated ADP come from exergonic breakdown reaction in the cell.
-ATP cycle: shuttling of inorganic phosphate and energy, it couples the cell's energy yielding (exergonix) processes to the energy consuming (endergonix) ones.
-catabolic pathways (cellularrespiration) provide the energy for the endergonix process of making ATP.

How does an enzyme lowering the Ea barrier?

enabling the reactant molecules to absorb enough energy to reach transition state even at moderate temperature.

How works the catalysis in the enzyme's active site?

-substrate is held in the active site by so-called weak interactions, hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds.
- an enzyme can catalyze either the forward or the reverse reaction, depending on which direction has a negative delta G.

Which mechanisms that lower activation energy (Ea) and speed up reaction uses enzymes?

-orienting substrate correctly
-straining substrate bonds
-providing a favorable micro-environment
-covalently bonding to the substrate.

Which local conditions have effect  on enzyme's activity?

temperature and pH optimals conditions give most active shape.
chemicals that specifically influence the enzyme

How does regulation of enzyme's activity helps control metabolism?

a cell does this by switching on or off the genes that encode specif enzymes or by regulating the activity of the enzyme.

How works allosteric inhibition an activation?

-each enzyme has an active an inactive form.
-the binding of an activator stabilizes the active form of the enzyme.
-the binding of an inhibitor stabilizes the inactive form of the enzyme.
-cooperativity is a form of allosteric regulation that can amplfy enzyme activity.
- one substrate molecule primes an enzyme to act on additional substrate molecules more readily.
-cooperativity is allosteric because binding by a substrate to one active site affects catalysis in a different active site.

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