Energy Flow (151)

1) Energy - What is energy? - the capacity to do work - make things, move things, break things, generate heat and light - there are two types of energy a) kinetic energy: movement (photons, molecules, etc) b) potential energy: stored energy, potential to do work - energy follows certain rules - What are the rules governing energy? - called the Laws of Thermodynamics a) First Law: energy can change forms, but amount of energy in the universe is constant b) Second Law: disorder in the universe is increasing (called entropy) - living things need energy to combat increasing entropy - the form of energy needed is chemical energy - unfortunately, the transfer of energy into different forms is never 100% efficient in terms of work accomplished - car engine example; energy is often lost as heat - How do living things get the energy they need? - the sun provides energy from huge nuclear reactions - the sun produces so much energy, that even though a vast amount of useful energy is lost enough remains to provide living things with the necessary energy to carry out chemical reactions 2) Chemical Reactions - What happens in chemical reactions? - reactants are converted into products - if energy is released, the reaction is exergonic - if energy is stored, the reaction is endergonic - all reactions need an initial input of energy (activation energy) to proceed - the fuse on a stick of dynamite - in living systems, exergonic reactions are often used to power endergonic ones - the exergonic reactions have to release more than is needed for the endergonic reactions, since the energy transfer isnt 100% efficient - these are referred to as coupled reactions - the chemical reactions that take place in organisms are collectively

referred to as metabolism - How does metabolism take place in living things? - we dont have small fires burning in our bodies - therefore, something that lowers this requirement will increase the rate at which the reaction will occur - living systems rely on catalysts - What are catalysts? - substances that lower the activation energy requirement of a reaction - they are not changed by the reaction however - How do they work in living systems? - normally for reactants to react, they have to interact with the proper direction and kinetic energy to produce products - catalysts bring reactants together in ways to facilitate this interaction - proper orientation; stress on certain bonds; etc - in living systems, biological catalysts are proteins called enzymes 3) Enzymes - How do enzymes perform their function? - they have to interact with the reactants, called substrates - the enzyme shape must complement the substrate - therefore, enzyme structure is very important - enzyme conformation to substrate shape is called induced fit - like a hand in a glove - where the substrate interacts with the enzyme is called the active site - so, enzymes are very specific for the reaction they catalyze - generally, they break and make chemical bonds - What affects enzyme action? - factors that influence enzyme-substrate interactions will affect the chemical reaction rate - temperature and pH may change the shape of the enzyme - specific molecules may also affect interactions - molecules that interfere with interactions are called inhibitors - molecules that facilitate interactions are called cofactors 4) ATP - How is chemical energy transported throughout an organism? - chemical energy can be stored in bonds - breaking these bonds can release energy to power other reactions

- certain molecules are used for just that purpose - these molecules can then be general carriers of energy to be used anywhere - What are these molecules? - a type of nucleotide called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) - the last phosphate bond is high energy, but can be easily broken - ATP often serves as the middleman between exergonic and endergonic (coupled) reactions in cells