Metabolism Flashcards
what is anabolic metabolism?
pathways that consume energy to build larger structures from smaller structures e.g. amino acid monomers - proteins
what is catabolic metabolism?
pathways that releases energy by breaking down larger molecules e.g. respiration breaking down glucose.
what are metabolic pathways?
where starting molecules are altered during a series of enzyme catalyzed reactions to make a final product
what is the first law of thermodynamics?
energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can be transformed or transferred
what is the second law of thermodynamics?
every energy transfer causes some energy to be lost to the environment
what are examples of energy being lost to the environment?
heat, water, CO2
what happens when energy is lost to the environment?
things become ‘disordered’
what are examples of order within biology?
predictablilty - e.g. DNA
efficient
ordered - e.g. cell shape
what happens when order is increased within the cell?
disorder is increased outwith the cell
what are spontaneous processes?
processes that are energetically favourable and can occur on their own (don’t require energy input to occur)
do spontaneous processes take the same amount of time?
no, they can be fast or slow e.g. ice melting (f) or rusting (s)
what are exergonic reactions?
catabolic - release energy
what are endergonic reactions?
anabolic - consumes energy
what are coupling reactions?
when energy from exergonic reactions are used to power endergonic reactions.
how are coupling reactions mediated?
ATP
