BSC 2010C Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Food Storage, Catabolism, Thermodynamics
Document Summary
Everything that happens in a cell involves a chemical reaction. Reactions grouped stepwise and are intricately interconnected. Altogether they result in the cell"s metabolism. Metabolism manages the material and energy resources of the cell. Two general kinds of metabolic pathways: degradative or catabolic pathways usually release energy, constructive or anabolic pathways usually require energy. Energy is the capacity to do work (move matter) Chemical: stored in molecules and is a result of the particular atomic arrangement. Energy can be transformed from one type to another. First law of energy conservation: the amount of energy is constant, can"t be created or destroyed. Second law of entropy: every energy transformation increases entropy energy available for doing useful work decreases with every energy transformation. Chemical reactions in cells either store or release energy. Cellular metabolism is a sum total of all endergenic and exergenic reactions in the cell. Atp is the cell"s energy shuttle: most cell reactions require small amounts of energy.
