Cheat sheet Metabolism

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AP Biology - Core Concept Cheat Sheet
07: Metabolism and Cellular Respiration
Key Biology Terms
• Activation Energy: The energy barrier a reaction must
overcome in order to proceed.
• Aerobic Respiration: A type of cellular respiration which
produces ATP if oxygen is present.
• Anabolism: The synthesis of complex molecules from
simple substances.
• Anaerobic Respiration: A type of cellular respiration
which produces ATP if oxygen is not present.
• ATP synthase: A protein machine which produces ATP.
• Catabolism: The breakdown of complex molecules into
simple substances.
• Cellular Respiration: A series of metabolic processes
which all living cells use to produce energy.
• Concentration Gradient: A difference in number of
molecules between two areas.
• Coupling: Using the energy from an energy-releasing
reaction to power an energy-requiring reaction.
• Electron Carrier: A molecule which can hold onto
electrons and carry them to a new destination.
• Electron Transport Chain: A chain of molecules which
pass electrons from one to the next, releasing energy.
• Energy: The capacity to do work.
• Enzyme: A protein which speeds up chemical reactions.
• FADH2: An electron carrier.
• Glucose: A simple sugar which is broken down in cellular
respiration to produce ATP.
• Metabolism: The sum of chemical processes in an
organism.
• NADH: An electron carrier.
• Precursor: The simplest unit of something, e.g. building
blocks.
• Redox Reaction: A reaction in which one reactant donates
electrons and another reactant gains those electrons.
Anabolism & Catabolism
• Anabolism
o Conditions: excess resources, feeding, and resting.
o Activities: creation of new structures and storage of
nutrients.
o Role of ATP: requires energy.
• Catabolism
o Conditions: deficient resources, fasting, and stress.
o Activities: destruction of old structures and breakdown
of food.
o Role of ATP: releases energy.
Metabolic Processes
Metabolism
(Chemical Reactions Necessary For Life)
Anabolism Catabolism
(Construction of Molecules) (Breakdown of Molecules)
Protein Carbohydrate Lipid Protein Carbohydrate Lipid
Protein Fatty Acid Glycolysis
Synthesis Synthesis
Glycogenesis Breakdown into Beta
Amino Acids Oxidation
Cellular Respiration
Aerobic Respiration Anaerobic Respiration
(requires oxygen / slow) (no oxygen required / fast)
Energy In Biological Reactions
• Thermodynamics
o 1st
Law: energy cannot be created nor destroyed.
o 2nd
Law: work cannot be completely efficient.
o Free Energy: spontaneous reactions occur
automatically. Non-spontaneous reactions require input
of energy.
• Activation Energy
o Activation energy determines reaction speed.
o Enzymes lower activation energy to speed up reactions.
• Redox Reactions
o Redox reactions allow transportation of electrons.
• Coupling
o Coupling is used in metabolism to run unfavorable
reactions. Usually an energy-releasing reaction, such as
a redox reaction, is coupled to ATP production.
Aerobic Respiration
Aerobic respiration produces a grand total of 36 ATP and
involves three steps:
• Glycolysis
o Glucose is broken down into pyruvate.
o 2 ATP produced.
• Krebs Cycle
o Acetyl CoA (made from pyruvate) runs a cycle of
reactions, regenerating at the end of each cycle.
o All of the electrons are passed to NADH and FADH2
(electron carriers).
o 2 ATP produced.
• Oxidative Phosphorylation
o NADH and FADH2 carry electrons to protein machines.
o NADH and FADH2 pass electrons to machines which
pass them to the final acceptor: oxygen.
o As they pass electrons, machines pump hydrogen ions
to create concentration gradient.
o Hydrogen ions flow back due to concentration gradient.
o Flowing hydrogen ions spin the motor of ATP synthase.
ATP synthase produces ATP.
o 32 ATP produced.
Anaerobic Respiration
Anaerobic respiration produces a grand total of 2 ATP and
involves two steps:
• Glycolysis
o Glucose is broken down into pyruvate.
o 2 ATP produced.
• Fermentation
o Pyruvate is broken down into ethanol or lactic acid.
o Glycolysis intermediates produced to allow glycolysis to
begin again immediately.
How to Use This Cheat Sheet: These are the keys related this topic. Try to read through it carefully twice then recite it out on a
blank sheet of paper. Review it again before the exams.