Vocabulary: The Mitochondria and Cellular Respiration

Aerobic

Requiring the presence of oxygen

Anabolism

The building of molecules

Anaerobic

Requiring the absence of oxygen

Catabolism

The breaking down of molecules

Cellular Metabolism

Complex sequences of controlled biochemical reactions that occur in living
organisms in order to maintain life

Cellular Respiration

The chemical process that changes food (chemical energy) into ATP (cellular
energy).

Chemical Energy

Energy stored in the bonds of molecules

Citric Acid Cycle
(Krebs Cycle)

Cyclic Cycle that generates High-Energy Electron Carriers through the
breakdown of pyruvic acid

Electromagnetic
Radiation

All forms of energy released by the sun

Endergonic Reactions

Reactions that store energy and yield products that are rich in potential
energy

Energy

The capacity to do work or rearrange matter

Energy Coupling

Process of using an exergonic reaction to drive an endergonic reaction

Energy of Activation

The amount of energy that reactants must absorb before a chemical reaction
will begin

Entropy

A thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's
thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as
the degree of disorder or randomness in the system.

Exergonic Reactions

Reactions that release energy and yield products that are low in potential
energy

Fermentation

An anaerobic process that recycles High-Energy Electron Carriers

First Law of
Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed

Glycolysis

The breakdown of glucose by enzymes, releasing energy and pyruvic acid

Kinetic Energy

Energy of motion

Light Energy

Visible spectrum of energy released by the sun

Metabolism

The cell's capacity to acquire, store, and use energy in controlled processes

Mitochondria

An organelle found in both plant and animal cells that conducts the process
of cellular respiration.

Oxidative-
Phosphorylation

A membrane bound process that uses oxygen and High-Energy Electron
Carriers to generate high levels of ATP

Potential Energy

Stored energy; the energy that an object possesses as a result of their
location or molecular structure

Respiration

Process of exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygen

Second Law of
Thermodynamics

During every energy transfer or transformation, some energy becomes
unusable

Substrate-Level
Phosphorylation

A enzymatic process that generates low levels of ATP without the use of
oxygen

Thermal energy

measurement of random molecular movement