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Questions and Answers
According to the laws of thermodynamics, which statement best describes biological processes?
According to the laws of thermodynamics, which statement best describes biological processes?
- Biological processes follow the laws of thermodynamics only in controlled laboratory conditions.
- Biological processes obey the laws of thermodynamics, with energy transformations subject to physical laws. (correct)
- Biological processes often defy the laws of thermodynamics due to the complexity of living organisms.
- Biological processes are exempt from the laws of thermodynamics, allowing for spontaneous energy transformations.
How does ATP power cellular work?
How does ATP power cellular work?
- By coupling exergonic reactions to endergonic reactions. (correct)
- By catalyzing the synthesis of high-energy molecules.
- By breaking down glucose molecules to release stored energy.
- By directly converting energy from sunlight into cellular fuel.
How do enzymes speed up metabolic reactions?
How do enzymes speed up metabolic reactions?
- By increasing the overall energy released during the reaction.
- By altering the entropy change of the reaction.
- By lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. (correct)
- By changing the equilibrium constant of the reaction.
What does the free-energy change of a reaction tell us?
What does the free-energy change of a reaction tell us?
What is the equation to calculate the free-energy change (ΔG) for a chemical reaction?
What is the equation to calculate the free-energy change (ΔG) for a chemical reaction?
What conditions can affect the ΔG value of a chemical reaction?
What conditions can affect the ΔG value of a chemical reaction?
What type of processes are observed in nature?
What type of processes are observed in nature?
What does a negative ΔG indicate?
What does a negative ΔG indicate?
What does free energy serve as a measure of?
What does free energy serve as a measure of?
What is the state of maximum stability?
What is the state of maximum stability?
How are chemical reactions classified based on their free-energy changes?
How are chemical reactions classified based on their free-energy changes?
Can systems at equilibrium perform work?
Can systems at equilibrium perform work?
What type of reactions occur spontaneously due to the release of free energy?
What type of reactions occur spontaneously due to the release of free energy?
What is free energy harnessed for in spontaneous changes?
What is free energy harnessed for in spontaneous changes?
Why is understanding free energy crucial in the study of metabolism?
Why is understanding free energy crucial in the study of metabolism?
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
What is the second law of thermodynamics primarily concerned with?
What is the second law of thermodynamics primarily concerned with?
What is metabolism?
What is metabolism?
What are metabolic pathways?
What are metabolic pathways?
What do catabolic pathways do?
What do catabolic pathways do?
What do anabolic pathways do?
What do anabolic pathways do?
What is energy?
What is energy?
What is chemical energy?
What is chemical energy?
How do catabolic reactions release energy?
How do catabolic reactions release energy?
What are the waste products of the transformation of chemical energy in biological systems?
What are the waste products of the transformation of chemical energy in biological systems?
What does bioenergetics study?
What does bioenergetics study?
Why is a basic knowledge of energy necessary to understand how the living cell works?
Why is a basic knowledge of energy necessary to understand how the living cell works?
What does the first law of thermodynamics state?
What does the first law of thermodynamics state?
What is the second law of thermodynamics primarily concerned with?
What is the second law of thermodynamics primarily concerned with?
What is entropy a measure of?
What is entropy a measure of?
What does the second law of thermodynamics state about energy transfer or transformation?
What does the second law of thermodynamics state about energy transfer or transformation?
What is the study of energy transformations in matter called?
What is the study of energy transformations in matter called?
What is the system in the context of thermodynamics?
What is the system in the context of thermodynamics?
What is the surroundings in the context of thermodynamics?
What is the surroundings in the context of thermodynamics?
What is the loss of usable energy as heat to the surroundings responsible for?
What is the loss of usable energy as heat to the surroundings responsible for?
When can a system put thermal energy to work?
When can a system put thermal energy to work?
What does the second law of thermodynamics state about the universe as a whole?
What does the second law of thermodynamics state about the universe as a whole?
What do organisms act as in the context of energy transformations?
What do organisms act as in the context of energy transformations?
What does the study of energy transformations in matter enable cells to do?
What does the study of energy transformations in matter enable cells to do?
Which law helps predict energetically favorable processes and spontaneous vs. nonspontaneous processes?
Which law helps predict energetically favorable processes and spontaneous vs. nonspontaneous processes?
What type of energy flow into ecosystems and exits as heat, contributing to the overall increase in entropy?
What type of energy flow into ecosystems and exits as heat, contributing to the overall increase in entropy?
What is a good analogy for an increase in entropy according to the text?
What is a good analogy for an increase in entropy according to the text?
What is the symbol used to represent Gibbs free energy?
What is the symbol used to represent Gibbs free energy?
What does the increase in biological order over time not violate?
What does the increase in biological order over time not violate?
What does the concept of entropy refer to in a system?
What does the concept of entropy refer to in a system?
What do living systems do to the entropy of their surroundings?
What do living systems do to the entropy of their surroundings?
What is the form in which energy flows into ecosystems, contributing to the overall increase in entropy?
What is the form in which energy flows into ecosystems, contributing to the overall increase in entropy?
What does the depletion of chemical energy in organisms account for?
What does the depletion of chemical energy in organisms account for?
What does the evolution of biological order align with?
What does the evolution of biological order align with?
What does the increase in disorder result from in biological processes?
What does the increase in disorder result from in biological processes?
What does Gibbs free energy measure the portion of?
What does Gibbs free energy measure the portion of?
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Study Notes
Metabolism and Energy in Living Organisms
- The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transferred and transformed, but not created or destroyed
- The second law of thermodynamics states that every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe
- Metabolism is the totality of an organism’s chemical reactions and is an emergent property of life
- Metabolic pathways are a series of defined steps that alter specific molecules, catalyzed by enzymes
- Catabolic pathways release energy by breaking down complex molecules, such as in cellular respiration
- Anabolic pathways consume energy to build complicated molecules from simpler ones
- Energy is the capacity to cause change and exists in various forms, including kinetic, thermal, light, and potential energy
- Chemical energy is the potential energy available for release in a chemical reaction; high in complex molecules like glucose
- Catabolic reactions release energy by breaking bonds and forming new ones, resulting in lower-energy breakdown products
- The transformation of chemical energy also occurs in biological systems, producing carbon dioxide and water as waste products
- These principles apply to bioenergetics, the study of how energy flows through living organisms
- A basic knowledge of energy is necessary to understand how the living cell works
Understanding Entropy and Biological Order
- Entropy refers to the increase in disorder in a system, illustrated by the decay of an unmaintained building over time.
- The concept of entropy helps explain energetically favorable processes and spontaneous vs. nonspontaneous processes.
- Living systems increase the entropy of their surroundings, as predicted by thermodynamic law.
- Despite increasing entropy, cells create ordered structures from less organized starting materials through various biological processes.
- Energy flows into ecosystems in the form of light and exits as heat, contributing to the overall increase in entropy.
- The increase in biological order over time does not violate the second law of thermodynamics; organisms are islands of low entropy in an increasingly random universe.
- The physical disintegration of a system’s organized structure is a good analogy for an increase in entropy.
- Biological processes convert chemical energy to kinetic energy, increasing disorder by producing heat and less ordered forms of matter.
- Some spontaneous processes, such as an explosion, may be virtually instantaneous, while others, such as the rusting of an old car over time, are much slower.
- The depletion of chemical energy in organisms is accounted for by heat generated during metabolism.
- The evolution of biological order is consistent with the laws of thermodynamics.
- Gibbs free energy, symbolized by G, is a useful function that measures the portion of a system’s energy that can perform work when temperature and pressure are uniform throughout the system.
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