Energy and Metabolism

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to energy and metabolism as presented in the lecture.

Metabolism

The sum of all the chemical reactions occurring in an organism.

Photosynthesis

A process used by plants to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose and oxygen.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose and oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy (ATP).

Metabolic Pathway

A series of interconnected biochemical reactions that convert substrates through intermediates into products.

Anabolic Pathways

Metabolic pathways that build molecules and require energy.

Catabolic Pathways

Metabolic pathways that break down molecules and release energy.

Activation Energy

The minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur.

Enzyme

A protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy.

Competitive Inhibition

A process where an inhibitor competes with the substrate for the active site of an enzyme.

Noncompetitive Inhibition

A process where an inhibitor binds to an enzyme at a site other than the active site, changing the enzyme's shape and function.

Gibbs Free Energy (G)

The usable energy available to do work in a system.

Exergonic Reaction

A reaction that releases free energy and has a negative ΔG.

Endergonic Reaction

A reaction that requires free energy input and has a positive ΔG.

Energy Coupling

The use of energy released from exergonic reactions to drive endergonic reactions.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The primary energy currency of the cell used for energy transfer.

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system; high entropy indicates higher disorder.