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AP Biology Chapter 8 Homework

1. Living things are open systems that interact with their environment, unlike closed systems that cannot transfer energy or matter. 2. A system with high free energy has a greater capacity for work but is less stable, while a system with low free energy has less capacity for work but is more stable. 3. Exergonic reactions release energy and match catabolic reactions, while endergonic reactions require energy and match anabolic reactions which use energy to build molecules.

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5K views3 pages

AP Biology Chapter 8 Homework

1. Living things are open systems that interact with their environment, unlike closed systems that cannot transfer energy or matter. 2. A system with high free energy has a greater capacity for work but is less stable, while a system with low free energy has less capacity for work but is more stable. 3. Exergonic reactions release energy and match catabolic reactions, while endergonic reactions require energy and match anabolic reactions which use energy to build molecules.

Uploaded by

Viktor Naminsky
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter8AnIntroductiontoMetabolismHomework

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.

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