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| ATP synthase | a membrane-embedded protein complex that regenerates ATP from ADP with energy from protons diffusing through it |
| ATP | (also, adenosine triphosphate) the cell’s energy currency |
| acetyl CoA | the combination of an acetyl group derived from pyruvic acid and coenzyme A which is made from pantothenic acid (a B-group vitamin) |
| activation energy | the amount of initial energy necessary for reactions to occur |
| active site | a specific region on the enzyme where the substrate binds |
| allosteric inhibition | the mechanism for inhibiting enzyme action in which a regulatory molecule binds to a second site (not the active site) and initiates a conformation change in the active site, preventing binding with the substrate |
| anabolic | describes the pathway that requires a net energy input to synthesize complex molecules from simpler ones |
| anaerobic cellular respiration | the use of an electron acceptor other than oxygen to complete metabolism using electron transport-based chemiosmosis |
| bioenergetics | the concept of energy flow through living systems |
| catabolic | describes the pathway in which complex molecules are broken down into simpler ones, yielding energy as an additional product of the reaction |
| chemiosmosis | the movement of hydrogen ions down their electrochemical gradient across a membrane through ATP synthase to generate ATP |
| citric acid cycle | a series of enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions of central importance in all living cells that harvests the energy in carbon-carbon bonds of sugar molecules to generate ATP; the citric acid cycle is an aerobic metabolic pathway because it requires oxygen in later reactions to proceed |
| competitive inhibition | a general mechanism of enzyme activity regulation in which a molecule other than the enzyme’s substrate is able to bind the active site and prevent the substrate itself from binding, thus inhibiting the overall rate of reaction for the enzyme |
| electron transport chain | a series of four large, multi-protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane that accepts electrons from donor compounds and harvests energy from a series of chemical reactions to generate a hydrogen ion gradient across the membrane |
| endergonic | describes a chemical reaction that results in products that store more chemical potential energy than the reactants |
| enzyme | a molecule that catalyzes a biochemical reaction |
| exergonic | describes a chemical reaction that results in products with less chemical potential energy than the reactants, plus the release of free energy |
| feedback inhibition | a mechanism of enzyme activity regulation in which the product of a reaction or the final product of a series of sequential reactions inhibits an enzyme for an earlier step in the reaction series |
| fermentation | the steps that follow the partial oxidation of glucose via glycolysis to regenerate NAD+; occurs in the absence of oxygen and uses an organic compound as the final electron acceptor |
| glycolysis | the process of breaking glucose into two three-carbon molecules with the production of ATP and NADH |
| heat energy | the energy transferred from one system to another that is not work |
| kinetic energy | the type of energy associated with objects in motion |
| metabolism | all the chemical reactions that take place inside cells, including those that use energy and those that release energy |
| noncompetitive inhibition | a general mechanism of enzyme activity regulation in which a regulatory molecule binds to a site other than the active site and prevents the active site from binding the substrate; thus, the inhibitor molecule does not compete with the substrate for the active site; allosteric inhibition is a form of noncompetitive inhibition |
| oxidative phosphorylation | the production of ATP by the transfer of electrons down the electron transport chain to create a proton gradient that is used by ATP synthase to add phosphate groups to ADP molecules |
| potential energy | the type of energy that refers to the potential to do work |
| substrate | a molecule on which the enzyme acts |
| thermodynamics | the science of the relationships between heat, energy, and work |
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