TOPIC: ENERGY FLOW IN THE LIVING SYSTEM

A. Guide Questions:
a. Define the following terms:

 Free energy- is a concept useful in the thermodynamics of chemical or thermal processes

in engineering and science.
 Nuclear reaction- is a process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external
subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides.
 Solar energy- is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of
technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy, and solar
architecture.
 Photosynthesis- is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy
into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the
organism's activities.
 Respiration- a process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically
with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of
complex organic substances.
 Chemical energy- is the energy of chemical substances that is released when they
undergo a chemical reaction and transform into other substances.
 Tricarboxylic Acid cycle- also known as the Krebs cycle or the TCA cycle, is a series of
chemical reactions to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived
from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
 Electron Transport System- is a series of protein complexes and other molecules that
transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions and
couples this electron transfer with the transfer of protons across a membrane.
 Oxidative Phosphorylation- is the metabolic pathway in which cells use enzymes to
oxidize nutrients, thereby releasing chemical energy in order to produce adenosine
triphosphate.
 Substrate level phosphorylation- is a metabolism reaction that results in the production
of ATP or GTP by the transfer of a phosphate group from a substrate directly to ADP or
GDP.
 ATP- is an organic compound that provides energy to drive many processes in living
cells, such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, condensate dissolution,
and chemical synthesis.
 b. How is solar energy trapped and converted to chemical energy?

 The solar energy of the sun is trapped in the form of chemical energy by the process of
photosynthesis.

c. How is CO2 incorporated as the sole source of C in organic molecules?

 CO2 can be incorporated as a source of organic Carbon because CO2 can undergo a
conversion process called carbon fixation, which then become an organic molecule that
is fit tobe used in the process of photosynthesis.