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# Reviewer in General Biology 1 This document is a review of concepts related to general biology. It covers various topics including energy, chemical reactions, photosynthesis, respiration, and more. **I. Basic Concepts** * **Second Law of Thermodynamics:** Explains the loss of available energy d...

# Reviewer in General Biology 1 This document is a review of concepts related to general biology. It covers various topics including energy, chemical reactions, photosynthesis, respiration, and more. **I. Basic Concepts** * **Second Law of Thermodynamics:** Explains the loss of available energy during a process, due to a tendency for disorder. * **First Law of Thermodynamics:** States that energy can be converted or transduced into another form of energy. * **Enzymes:** Proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. * **ATP:** The energy currency of a cell. Hydrolysis of ATP does not have a highly positive ΔG. * **Gibbs Free Energy:** A measure of useful energy in a thermodynamic system under constant temperature and pressure. * **Metabolism:** All chemical reactions occurring in a cell. * **Catabolism:** Chemical pathways that break down molecules. * **Photosynthesis:** The process plants use to make food. * **Reactants:** Carbon dioxide and water. * **Product:** Glucose * **Chlorophyll:** The green pigment found in plant cells needed for photosynthesis. * **Light Energy:** Required for photosynthesis. * **Glucose:** A product of photosynthesis. * **Starch:** An insoluble product of glucose, used for storage. * **Cellulose:** A chemical made from glucose, used to make cell walls. **II. Photosynthesis and Respiration** * **Greenhouse effect:** Growing in a greenhouse does not limit the rate of photosynthesis. * **Leaves:** Trap flies to gain extra nutrients, is not a general leaf adaptation for photosynthesis. * **Conversion:** Not used in many essential plant processes and as a source of raw materials for cell compounds. * **Tree planting:** Does not cause atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to rise dangerously high. * **Ozone layer:** Oxygen (O₂) leads to the formation of the ozone layer, which filters out harmful UV rays * **Photosynthesis Equation:** 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ * **Respiration:** The obtaining of oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. **III. Aerobic Respiration** This process occurs when the oxygen supply to a cell is high. It involves the complete breakdown of glucose to produce a large amount of energy. The process converts glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water with the release of energy. **IV. Anaerobic Respiration** This process occurs when there is a low oxygen supply. It involves the incomplete breakdown of glucose to produce a small amount of energy. The process converts glucose into lactic acid with the release of energy. It only takes place for a short period. | Process | Aerobic Respiration | Anaerobic Respiration | |-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | Oxygen Supply | High | Low | | Glucose Breakdown | Complete | Incomplete | | Energy Production | Large amount | Small amount | | Waste Product | Carbon dioxide and water | Lactic acid | | Duration | Can be carried out for a long period of time | Can only be carried out for a short period of time | | Oxygen Debt | Does not build up an oxygen debt | Builds up an oxygen debt | **V. Additional Notes** * **Muscle Contraction:** Muscle contract inefficiently during anaerobic respiration because glucose breakdown is incomplete and lactic acid builds up. * **Body Temperature:** Allowing body temperature to change to match the air temperature is a function of energy released during respiration. * **Footballer:** A footballer playing for 90 minutes in a tiring game will breathe heavily to complete the oxidation of lactic acid to carbon dioxide and water.