Metabolism
The Energy of Life
Metabolism
"The totality of an organism's chemical reactions."
Metabolic Pathway
"A specific molecule, which is then altered in a series of defined steps, resulting in a certain product."
Catabolic Pathways
As a whole manages the material and energy resources of a cell.
"Release energy by breaking down complex molecules to simpler compounds."
Anabolic Pathways
"Consume energy to build complicated molecules from simpler ones; sometimes called biosynthetic pathways."
Bioenergetics
"The study of how energy flows through living things."
Forms of Energy
Energy
"The capacity to cause change."
Kinetic Energy
"Energy can be associated with the relative motion of objects this energy."
Thermal Energy
"Kinetic energy associated with the random movement of atoms or molecules."
Heat
"Thermal energy in transfer from one object to another."
Potential Energy
"Energy that matter possesses because of its location or structure."
Chemical Energy
"Potential energy available for release in a chemical reaction."
Energy Transformation
Thermodynamics
"The study of the energy transformation that occur in a collections of matter."
First Law of Thermodynamics
"The energy of the universe is constant."
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Also Known As: Principle of conservation of energy.
"Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe."
Entropy
"Quantity that acts as a measure of molecular disorder, or randomness."
Spontaneous Process
"Process can proceed without requiring an input of energy."
Free Energy
"The portion of a system's energy that can perform work when temperature and pressure are uniform throughout the system."
Energy and Metabolism
Exergonic Reaction
"Proceeds with a net release of energy."
Endergonic Reaction
"One that absorbs free energy from its surroundings."
Energy Coupling
The use of an exergonic process to drive an endergonic one."*
ATP(adenosine triphosphate)
"Introduced when we discussed the phosphate group as a functional group"
Phosphorylated Intermediate
recipient molecule with the phosphate group covalently bonded to it.
Enzymes
"Macromolecule that acts as a catalyst."
Catalyst-(A chemical agent that speeds up a reaction without being consumed by the reaction.)
Activation Energy
"Initial investment of energy for starting a reaction-- The energy required to contort the reactant molecules so the bonds can break."
Catalysis
"A process by which a catalyst selectively speeds up a reaction without itself being consumed."
Substrate
"The reactant an enzyme acts on is referred to as the enzyme's Substrate."
Enzyme-Substrate Complex
"The enzyme binds to its substrates forming..."
Active Site
"Typically a pocket or groove on the surface of the enzyme where catalysis occurs."
Induced Fit
"The tightening of the binding after initial contact."
CoFactors
"May be bound tightly to the enzyme as a permanent resident."
Coenzyme
"Organic Cofactor Molecule."
Inhibitors
Competitive Inhibitors
"Reduce the productivity of enzymes by blocking substrates from entering active sites."
NonCompetitive Inhibitors
"Do not directly compete with the substrate to bind to the enzyme at the active site."
Allosteric Regulation
"Describe any case in which a protein's function at one site is affected by the binding of a regulatory molecule to a separate site."
Cooperativity
"This mechanism amplifies the response of enzymes to substrates..."
Feedback Inhibition
"Common mode of metabolic control."