Republic of the Philippines

Western Mindanao State University

College of Science and Mathematics
Zamboanga City

Written by: ANG, ROMAR CRISTIAN F. Date Performed: April 30, 2022
Year and Section: BS BIO-3B Date Submitted: April 30, 2022

BIOENERGETICS

INTRODUCTION
Discussions by ancient thinkers about the nature of fermentation and the role of air in the use
of food by living organisms are found in the field of bioenergetics. Leonardo da Vinci was
among the first to make the connection between animal nutrition and candle burning. In 1648,
the Dutch naturalist Jan Baptiste van Helmont experimented with plants and came up with this
concept. Until the early twentieth century, bioenergetics was primarily concerned with the
overall balance of the processes of energy supply of living organisms (respiration and
fermentation) and the effect of various conditions such as the transition from a state of rest to a
state of work, and change in external temperatureon the organism's energy balance. The rapid
development of biochemistry in the first half of the twentieth century aided in the formulation of
the fundamental laws governing energy transformation in living cells (Skulachev et al. 2012).
Bioenergetics is the branch of biochemistry concerned with how cells convert energy, most
commonly by producing, storing, or consuming adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Most aspects of
cellular metabolism, and thus life itself, rely on bioenergetic processes such as cellular
respiration or photosynthesis.

BIOENERGETICS IN THE SYSTEM OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

To classify biological sciences, consider an eight-story building, with each story

representing a new level of structural complexity in living matter. The researcher progresses
from general to specific issues as he descends from floor to floor. Moreover, the top floor
dedicates to biosphere research. Furthermore, it is concerned with the communities of individual
organisms that form ecosystems, which, when combined, form the biosphere. The following
story is concerned with the group of sciences known as "biology of species." Classical
descriptive biological sciences include zoology, botany, mycology, microbiology, and virology.
Individuals are investigated on the fourth story from the top, which is made up of species-
composing communities. Anatomy and physiology experts investigate the structure and function
of individual organisms, as well as their organs and tissues. Tissues are made up of cells, and
biological processes examined at this level fall under the purview of cellular biology (the fifth
storey from the top). Subcellular biology, which examines intracellular organelles and
supramolecular systems, is the next level of abstraction. Studies on the structure and function of
the plasmalemma, cytosol, nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes,
peroxisomes, chloroplasts, and other subcellular organelles fall under this category.
The seventh floor from the top is quite important. It is taken up by molecular biology.
Individual molecules that make up living creatures, particularly macromolecules and their
complexes, are under the purview of molecular biology. The shift to quantitative description of
biological things happens on this level. Some of these compounds are inorganic, but it makes
little sense to consider ‘‘bioinorganic chemistry’’ as a special science and make a separate storey
for it, since the number of its objects is very much smaller than that of bioorganic chemistry.
The biological sciences are classified based on more than just levels of complexity. A
biologist, chemist, physicist, or mathematician can all study biological objects. Each of these
experts employs a unique methodological approach and research philosophy. Even the concrete
researcher's conclusions might be influenced by the methodological "porch" of the "biology
building" in which he is operating. The mathematician seeks equations that explain the subject of
study or uses informatics to examine "biological texts." While studying the flow of reactions
across time, the biophysicist desires great temporal resolution over the whole observation period.
The purity of molecules and the homogeneity of the system will be of key relevance in the case
of the chemist. The biologist is unlikely to be concerned about femtosecond definition,
mathematical precision, or chemical purity.
Another criterion for classifying biological studies is the biological functions of the systems
under investigation. Biological things provide four primary purposes. One of them is genetic, and
it has to do with the transmission of particular characteristics to the next generation. Genetics is
the science that deals with this function. The second critical prerequisite for the existence of a
biological system is energy supply, and bioenergetics is the study of these phenomena. There is
also a vital biological function that involves the interconversion of several chemical compounds.
The molecules that make up our bodies are fundamentally different from those found in nature.
By analogy with genetics and bioenergetics, the study of substance metabolism might be referred
to as metabolics.
LAWS OF BIOENERGETICS
1. Living Cells Use Energy Carriers
According to the first bioenergetics law, living cells do not immediately employ the
obtained energy. Instead, before executing cellular functions, energy from external
sources is transformed into energy carriers.
There are at least three energy carriers known to date namely:
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

 ATP, known as the molecular money, is made up of adenine coupled to one

molecule of ribose sugar at carbon 1 and a triphosphate group at carbon 5, where
energy is stored in phosphoanhydride bonds.
 When the triphosphate group of ATP is broken down into di- and monophosphate,
adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) are formed.
 ATP is present in all living cells and is considered the universal marker of life.
The majority of ATP molecules are produced by a membrane-bound enzyme
complex in conjunction with the translocation of hydrogen or sodium ions.
Proton or hydrogen ions (H+) potential difference
 Proton or hydrogen ion (H+) potential differences are available as electrical and
chemical potential differences.
 The chemical potential difference is caused by a gradient in hydrogen ion
concentration, but the electrical potential difference is caused by membrane
potential. Charge separation between the extracellular matrix and the intracellular
cytosol causes an electrical potential differential.
Sodium ions (Na+) potential difference
  Sodium ion potential differences, like hydrogen ion potential differences, exist in
both electrical and chemical forms. It is often generated in conjunction with
cellular respiration and non-oxidative decarboxylation, and it employs a buffering
system based on the potassium-proton (K+/H+) gradient.
2. Living cells use at least two forms of energy carriers
3. The energy carriers are interconvertible
 The third law of bioenergetics is an extension of the second. It specifies that
energy carriers in one form can be transferred to other forms found in cells.
 ATP may be transformed to hydrogen ion or sodium ion potential differences and
vice versa. It is believed that interconversion between energy carriers ensures that
cells can meet all of their energy requirements even if they can only gather energy
from one source.

REFERENCES
Skulachev, V. P., Bogachev, A. V., & Kasparinsky, F. O. (2012). Introduction. Principles of
Bioenergetics, 3–28. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-33430-6_1