Biological Oxidation
,Some characteristics of reactions in nature
• Inert, Spontaneous, or Enzymatic
• Involve making or breaking of bonds between atoms
• Involves electrons
• Specific physiochemical conditions required for reactions e.g., som
organelles provide low pH suitable for reactions to take place.
Gastrium provides low pH for protein digestion while duodenum
provides high pH for digestion of lipids and carbohydrates.
,Metabolism
• Metabolism is either anabolism or catabolism - is the sum of all the
chemical transformations taking place in a cell or organism
• Metabolic pathways - a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions
• Metabolic pathway are many but we focus on central metabolic
pathways (Glucose breakdown, fatty acid synthesis, amino acid
synthesis, etc.)
• Metabolite - is the sum of all the chemicals/ molecules/
macromolecules in a cell or organism
• Enzyme – catalysts of reactions. Activity is regulated
, Bioenergetics
• Bioenergetics is the quantitative study of energy transduction
• Laws of thermodynamics
• First: energy may change form, or it may be transported from one region t
another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Energy in the universe
remains constant
• Second: the universe always tends towards disorder/randomness
• Living system are never at equilibrium with their surroundings, and
the constant transactions between system and surroundings explai
how organisms can create order within themselves while operating
within the second law of thermodynamics.
,Some characteristics of reactions in nature
• Inert, Spontaneous, or Enzymatic
• Involve making or breaking of bonds between atoms
• Involves electrons
• Specific physiochemical conditions required for reactions e.g., som
organelles provide low pH suitable for reactions to take place.
Gastrium provides low pH for protein digestion while duodenum
provides high pH for digestion of lipids and carbohydrates.
,Metabolism
• Metabolism is either anabolism or catabolism - is the sum of all the
chemical transformations taking place in a cell or organism
• Metabolic pathways - a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions
• Metabolic pathway are many but we focus on central metabolic
pathways (Glucose breakdown, fatty acid synthesis, amino acid
synthesis, etc.)
• Metabolite - is the sum of all the chemicals/ molecules/
macromolecules in a cell or organism
• Enzyme – catalysts of reactions. Activity is regulated
, Bioenergetics
• Bioenergetics is the quantitative study of energy transduction
• Laws of thermodynamics
• First: energy may change form, or it may be transported from one region t
another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Energy in the universe
remains constant
• Second: the universe always tends towards disorder/randomness
• Living system are never at equilibrium with their surroundings, and
the constant transactions between system and surroundings explai
how organisms can create order within themselves while operating
within the second law of thermodynamics.
