Metabolism

Metabolism

All chemical reactions that take place in the cell.

Catabolic Metabolism

Releases energy

Breaking down molecules into smaller ones

e.g. digestion

Anabolic Metabolism

requires energy

small molecules are built up into larger ones

e.g. protein synthesis

Anabolic Pathways

pathways that consume energy to build larger, complicated molecules

• Gluconeogenesis → the making of glucose from amino acids and lipids

Catabolic Pathways

Pathways that release energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler compounds

• Cellular Respiration → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ENERGY

  • Carbohydrate, a high energy molecule, gets ‘digested’ into carbon dioxide, a low energy molecule

  • Cells use released energy to make ATP