Chapter 6
Metabolism
By Boundless
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All organisms require energy to complete tasks; metabolism is the set of the chemical reactions that release energy for cellular processes.
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The various types of energy include kinetic, potential, and chemical energy.
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An anabolic pathway requires energy and builds molecules while a catabolic pathway produces energy and breaks down molecules.
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Organisms break down carbohydrates to produce energy for cellular processes, and photosynthetic plants product carbohydrates.
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Free energy, called Gibbs free energy (G), is usable energy or energy that is available to do work.
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The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transferred or transformed, but cannot be created or destroyed.
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The second law of thermodynamics states that every energy transfer increases the entropy of the universe due to the loss of usable energy.
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Activation energy is the energy required for a reaction to occur, and determines its rate.