Cell Respiration and Fermentation (Ch. 9) Flashcards
(69 cards)
Describe the energy flow and chemical recycling in ecosystems at a high level.
What is fermentation? (high-level answer)
Fermentation is a partial degradation of sugars or other organic fuel that occurs without oxygen. It is less prevalent and efficient than aerobic respiration.
What is aerobic respiration? (high-level answer)
Aerobic respiration is a catabolic pathway in which oxygen is consumed along with organic fuel. It is more prevalent and efficient than fermentation.
organic compounds + oxygen —> carbon dioxide + water + energy
Like the combustion of gasoline…
What organisms’ cells use aerobic respiration?
The cells of most eukaryotic and many prokaryotic organisms. Some prokaryotes use substances other than oxygen as reactants – this is anaerobic respiration.
What is the overall equation for the degradation of glucose?
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 ——> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Energy (ATP + heat)
∆G = -686 kcal/mol (2870 kJ) … exergonic
Do redox reactions always involve the complete transfer of electrons from one compound to another? Give an example of why or why not.
No, they do not. Sometimes, they can create energy from changing the degree of sharing in covalent bonds.
Ex.: In methane combustion, the electrons lose potential energy to the surroundings because they end up being shared unequally.
Consider the summary equation for cell respiration as a redox process. WHat is oxidized and what is reduced?
Glucose is oxidized (to CO2) and O2 is reduced (to H2O)
The fuel is oxidized and the oxygen is reduced.
Why are organic molecules with lots of hydrogen good fuels?
They contain many “hilltop” electrons. All those bonds with H have electrons whose energy can be released as they fall down an energy gradient when they are transferred to oxygen.
What is NAD+? Why is it good for its purpose?
Is it an oxidizing or reducing agent in respiration?
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme that is an electron carrier. It carries electrons with protons (i.e. hydrogen atoms). It is good for this because it can cycle between oxidized (NAD+) and reduced (NADH) states easily.
NAD+ is an oxidizing agent. (Think: it accepts electrons, so it is reduced, so it is an oxidizing agent.)
How does NAD+ trap electrons from glucose and other organic molecules?
Enzymes called dehydrogenases remove a pair of Hydrogen atoms from the substrate (i.e. glucose), oxidizing it. The enzymes deliver 2 electrons and 1 proton to the coenzyme, NAD+. Other proton is released as an ion into the solution.
What is an electron transport chain?
An electron transport chain is a number of molecules – mostly proteins – built into the inner membrane of the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells and the plasma membrane of aerobically respiring prokaryotes.
Electrons are removed from glucose and shuttled by NADH to the “top.” Then, at the bottom, lower-energy O2 captures the electrons and the H+, forming water.
Instead of one big, energy-losing step, the electrons cascade down in a series of redox reactions, losing a small amount of energy each step.
What are the three metabolic stages of harvesting energy from glucose by cellular respiration?
What is glycolysis?
Glycolysis begins the degradation process by breaking glucose into two molecules of pyruvate.
Where does glycolysis happen?
Glycolysis happens in the cytosol.
In eukaryotes, where does pyruvate go after glycolysis and what happens to it?
Pyruvate enters the mitochondrion and is oxidized (loses electrons) to a compound called acetyl CoA.
Where is pyruvate oxidized to acetyl CoA?
The mitochondrion.
Is pyruvate reduced or oxidized into acetyl CoA?
oxidized
What does acetyl CoA do after it becomes that (from pyruvate)
It enters the citric acid cycle.
What does the citric acid cycle do?
The citric acid cycle completes the breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide.
Where do pyruvate –> acetyl CoA and the citric acid cycle take place in prokaryotes?
In the cytosol
What happens in the third step of cellular respiration?
The electron transport chain accepts electrons from the breakdown products of the first two stages (usually via NADH) and passes these electrons from one molecule to another.
At end: electrons combine with H+ and molecular oxygen to form water
What process does the mitochondrion use to synthesize ATP using energy from cell respiration? Why is it called that?
oxidative phosphorylation. It is called that because it is powered by redox reactions of the electron transport chain.
What are the two processes of oxidative phosphorylation? Where do they happen?
Electron transport and chemiosmosis. In eukaryotes, they happen at the inner membrane of the mitochondrion.
Oxidative phosphorylation accounts for 90% of ATP generated by respiration. What does the rest? How does it work?
Substrate-level phosphorylation.
An enzyme transfers a phosphate group from a substrate molecule to ADP rather than adding an inorganic phosphate molecule to ADP.