Biological Systems: Complexity and Artificial Life

Author(s): Jacques Ricard

DOI: 10.2174/9781608058136114010007

Thermodynamics of Energy Conversion within the Cell

Pp: 99-125 (27)

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  • * (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Biological Systems: Complexity and Artificial Life

Thermodynamics of Energy Conversion within the Cell

Author(s): Jacques Ricard

Pp: 99-125 (27)

DOI: 10.2174/9781608058136114010007

* (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Abstract

Many enzyme reactions take place in the living cell. Most of them are disfavored by thermodynamics i.e. most of them could not take place alone, in isolation. In the same vein, most of the processes involving the transport of matter are thermodynamically disfavored. It is only because these chemical and transport processes are coupled as to form a system that this system is feasible and functioning.


Keywords: Disfavored chemical reactions and cell compartments, Energy coupling, Active and passive transport, Transport processes, Fractionation factors, Fluxes in living cells, Scalar processes, Vectorial processes, Coupling between scalar and vectorial processes.

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