Calories, Caloric Density, and ATP/ADP Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering calories, caloric density and accounting, and ATP/ADP biology from the notes.

Calorie

A unit of chemical energy used in physical and biological sciences; the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.

Calorie (c)

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius (1°C).

Bomb calorimeter

An instrument used to measure the caloric content of foods by burning them completely and measuring the resulting rise in water temperature.

Caloric content

The total energy content of food as determined by calorimetry.

Caloric density

Calories per unit weight or volume of food; foods with similar calories can differ substantially in density.

Caloric accounting

The accounting of calories consumed versus calories expended, based on intake, basal metabolic rate, and physical activity.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

The amount of energy the body uses at rest to maintain basic bodily functions.

Calories in

Calories consumed from foods and beverages.

Calories out

Calories expended through metabolism and physical activity.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

Adenine-containing ribose molecule with three phosphate groups; high-energy bonds supply energy for cellular work.

ADP (adenosine diphosphate)

Adenine-containing ribose with two phosphate groups; formed when ATP loses a phosphate group.

Adenine

A nitrogenous base that is a component of ATP and ADP.

Adenosine

Adenine attached to ribose; part of the ATP and ADP structure.

Ribose

The sugar component of adenine-containing nucleotides in ATP and ADP.

Triphosphate

Three phosphate groups attached to adenosine in ATP.

Diphosphate

Two phosphate groups attached to adenosine in ADP.

Phosphate transfer

The transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to other molecules, enabling cellular work.

ATP cycle

The cycle in which ATP is regenerated from ADP using energy from cellular respiration and is reused for work.

Aerobic respiration

Cellular respiration that requires oxygen and produces ATP; not the same as aerobic exercise.

Redox reaction

Oxidation-reduction reaction; transfer of electrons, essential to cellular respiration.

Oxygen

Gas required for aerobic respiration; drives electron transfer in the mitochondria.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into ATP, carbon dioxide, and water.