Textbook Question
With what class of enzymes are the coenzymes NAD+ and FAD associated?
Ch.21 The Generation of Biochemical Energy
McMurry8th EditionFundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological ChemistryISBN: 9780134015187
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Table of contents
- Ch.1 Matter and Measurements27
- Ch.2 Atoms and the Periodic Table20
- Ch.3 Ionic Compounds8
- Ch.4 Molecular Compounds23
- Ch.5 Classification & Balancing of Chemical Reactions12
- Ch.6 Chemical Reactions: Mole and Mass Relationships28
- Ch.7 Chemical Reactions: Energy, Rate and Equilibrium64
- Ch.8 Gases, Liquids and Solids24
- Ch.9 Solutions52
- Ch.10 Acids and Bases25
- Ch.11 Nuclear Chemistry22
- Ch.12 Introduction to Organic Chemistry: Alkanes57
- Ch.13 Alkenes, Alkynes, and Aromatic Compounds47
- Ch.14 Some Compounds with Oxygen, Sulfur, or a Halogen50
- Ch.15 Aldehydes and Ketones45
- Ch.16 Amines42
- Ch.17 Carboxylic Acids and Their Derivatives57
- Ch.18 Amino Acids and Proteins82
- Ch.19 Enzymes and Vitamins63
- Ch.20 Carbohydrates44
- Ch.21 The Generation of Biochemical Energy65
- Ch.22 Carbohydrate Metabolism45
- Ch.23 Lipids42
- Ch.24 Lipid Metabolism33
- Ch.25 Protein and Amino Acid Metabolism24
- Ch.26 Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis45
McMurry8th EditionFundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological ChemistryISBN: 9780134015187Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 21, Problem 72
What supplies the energy to drive oxidative phosphorylation?
Verified step by step guidance1
Oxidative phosphorylation is the process by which ATP is synthesized using energy derived from the transfer of electrons through the electron transport chain (ETC). Begin by understanding that the energy source for this process comes from the movement of electrons.
Electrons are supplied to the ETC by reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH₂, which are generated during earlier stages of cellular respiration, such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and beta-oxidation of fatty acids.
As electrons are passed along the ETC, they move through a series of protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This movement releases energy, which is used to pump protons (H⁺ ions) from the mitochondrial matrix into the intermembrane space, creating a proton gradient.
The energy stored in this proton gradient, also known as the proton-motive force, is what drives oxidative phosphorylation. Protons flow back into the mitochondrial matrix through ATP synthase, a protein complex that uses this energy to catalyze the conversion of ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pᵢ) into ATP.
In summary, the energy to drive oxidative phosphorylation is supplied by the electron transfer through the ETC, which creates a proton gradient, and the subsequent flow of protons through ATP synthase to produce ATP.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Oxidative Phosphorylation
Oxidative phosphorylation is a metabolic pathway that uses energy released by the oxidation of nutrients to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. This process occurs in the mitochondria and involves the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis, where electrons are transferred through a series of protein complexes, ultimately leading to the production of ATP.
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Oxidative Phosphorylation Concept 2
Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes located in the inner mitochondrial membrane that facilitate the transfer of electrons from electron donors, like NADH and FADH2, to electron acceptors. This transfer releases energy, which is used to pump protons across the membrane, creating a proton gradient essential for ATP synthesis.
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Proton Gradient and Chemiosmosis
The proton gradient generated by the electron transport chain creates a difference in proton concentration across the inner mitochondrial membrane. This gradient drives chemiosmosis, where protons flow back into the mitochondrial matrix through ATP synthase, a process that synthesizes ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate, effectively harnessing the energy stored in the gradient.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
What does the term “oxidative phosphorylation” mean? What is substrate-level phosphorylation? Are these processes the same? Explain.
Textbook Question
We talk of burning food in a combustion process, producing CO2 and H2O from food and O2. Explain how O2 is involved in the process although no O2 is directly involved in the citric acid cycle.
Textbook Question
Why must the breakdown of molecules for energy in the body occur in several steps, rather than in one step?
Textbook Question
In oxidative phosphorylation, what is oxidized and what is phosphorylated?
Textbook Question
Oxidative phosphorylation has three reaction products.
a. What is the energy-carrying product?