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1.Discusswhatisthedifferencebetweenanopensystemversusaclosed
systemandwhichonebestreflectslivingthings.
Opensystemiswherematterandenergycanbetransferedbetweenthesystemandits
surroundings.Ontheotherhand,aclosedsystem(anisolatedsystem?!)canttransferenergyin
suchamanner.Theformerbetterreflectslivingthingsthanthelatter,aseverythingintheworld
interactswithoneanotheracharacteristicofalllivingthingsisthattheyinteractwiththeir
environment.
2.Makeacharttocontrastasystemwithhighfreeenergyversusasystem
withlowfreeenergyforthefollowingfactors:workcapacity,equilibrium(at
equilibriumorfarawayfromequilibrium),spontaneity,andstability.
HighFreeEnergy
LowFreeEnergy
Work
Greaterworkcapacity
Lessworkcapacity
Equillibrium Asreactiongetsfartherfrom
equilibrium,higherfreeenergy
Asreactiongetsclosertoequilibrium,
lowerfreeenergy.
Spontaneity
Forpositive
G,processesarenot
spontaneous.
Fornegative
G,processesareableto
bespontaneous
Stability
Lessstable
Morestable
3.Contrastandcompareexergonicreactionsversusendergonicreactions.
Whichreactiontypematcheswithanabolicreactions?Whichmatcheswith
catabolicreactions?
Exergoniciswhenenergyisreleased.Incontrast,endergonicrequiresenergyitabsorbs
freeenergy.Magnitudeof
Gforanexergonicreactionrepresentsthemaxamountofworka
reactioncanperform.Cataboliciswhenenergyisreleasedandanaboliciswhenenergyis
consumedtobuildcomplicatedmolecules.Logically,exergonicwouldmatchwithcatabolic
becausebothiswhenenergyisreleased.Inthattrainofthought,endergonicwouldmatchwith
anabolic,asenergyisconsumed/required.
4.Whenacellbecomesmoreordered,oneofthecharacteristicsoflife,what
musthappenintherestoftheuniverse?WhichLawofThermodynamics
doesthisreflect?
Whenacellbecomesmoreordered,therateofenergytransferortransformation
decreases,andsomusttherateatwhichentropyoftheuniverseincreasestheuniversewill
becomemoreordered.ThisreflectsthesecondLawofThermodynamicsalthoughitclaimsthat
entropyoftheuniversecannotdecrease,therateatwhichentropyclimbsshouldslowdownasa
cellbecomesmoreordered,meaninglessenergytransferortransformation.
5.DiscusswhyATPcanstoresomuchenergy.
ItisnotthatphosphatebondsofATPareextremelystrongrather,itisthefactthatthe
reactants(ATPandH20)haverelativelyhigherenergycomparedtotheproductsoftheequation:
ADPandphosphates.
6.Explainhowenzymesspeedupchemicalreactions.
Toputitsimply,enzymesspeedupmetabolicreactionsbyloweringenergybarriers.
Theyarecatalysts,chemicalbeings,thatarenotconsumedyetspeedupreactions,butstill
provideenergy.Inaddition,weshouldtakenotethatproteins,DNA,andothermoleculeshave
lotsoffreeenergyandtheirbreakdownisveryhighinpotential.
7.Contrastandcomparecofactorsversuscoenzymes.
Cofactorsareadjunctenzymesthatrequirenonproteinhelpersforcatalyticactivity.
Anorganicmoleculethatisacofactorwouldbeacoenzyme.Cofactorsareoftenrequiredin
catalysis.Thecofactorsofsomeenzymes,however,areinorganic.
8.Contrastandcomparecompetitiveinhibitorswithnoncompetitive
inhibitors.Whichcanbeovercomebytheadditionofmoresubstrate?
Competitiveinhibitorsreducetheproductivityofenzymesbyblockingsubstratesfrom
enteringactivesites.Thisinhibitioniswhatcanbeovercomebytheadditionofmoresubstrate.
Noncompetitiveinhibitors,unlikecompetitiveones,dontdirectlycompetewithsubstrateto
bindtotheenzymeattheactivesite.Soactivesitewillbecomelessandlesseffectiveathelping
convertsubstratetoproduct.
9.Inthemetabolicpathway,ABCDE,discusswhateffectmoleculeEwould
likelyhaveonregulatingtheenzymethatcatalyzesthereactionofAtoB?
Eistheproduct.IfthereisenoughofmoleculeEtocompleteachemicalprocess,for
example,themolecules(reactants)ABCDEwillnotbeneeded,andthereforeanexcessofE
meanslessofABCDEproduced.
10.Akeyprocessinmetabolismisthetransportofhydrogenions(H+)across
amembranetocreateaconcentrationgradient.Explainwhicharrangement
ofhydrogenions(unequalconcentrationorequalconcentration)allowswork
tobedone.
Itisclearthatanunequalconcentration,notanequalone,wouldbetheonlypossibility
thatworkwillbedonetheunequalconcentrationofhydrogenionswouldallowthemtoflow
acrossthemembraneandincreasenotonlyentropybutalsowork.
11.Aresearcherwishestostopanenzymereactioninacellbecausethe
productscanbecometoxic.Speculateonanapproachthattheresearcher
mightusetostopthereaction.Besuretodescribehowthisapproachwould
workandanyprosorconsitmighthavetotheorganism.
Anapproachthattheresearchercouldtakeistoincreaseordecreasethetemperatureof
thecellbecauseeveryenzymehasanoptimumtemperature,ifthetemperaturechanges,the
enzymewilldenatureandnotwork.Abadconsequencemaybethatthesignificantchangein
temperaturemaykilltheorganism.Apositiveconsequencewouldbethattheorganismnolonger
hastoworryaboutthetoxicproducts.
However,themostdirectandeffectiveapproachtheresearchercouldtaketostopthis
enzymereactioninacellwouldbetocutoffthepatchcontainingtheaforementionedcellof
thesurfaceoftheorganism(beitplantoranimal).Itwouldpreventtheenzymefromspreading
toothercells.However,apossibledownsideisthatthismethodwouldcauseacertainamountof
paintotheorganism.Apositiveconsequencewouldbethattheorganismwouldnolongerhave
tofearthetoxicproduct.