Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

1. (0.75 pts) The free energy change for an enzymatic reaction under cellular co

ID: 542568 • Letter: 1

Question

1. (0.75 pts) The free energy change for an enzymatic reaction under cellular conditions must be negative for a reaction to occur in the direction as written. Thus, the concentrations of metabolites in cells need to be in favor of producing a negative @for a given enzymatic reaction. Answer the following questions for the reaction shown below. acetyl CoA + H2O CoASH + acetic acid Go,--32 kJ/mol (a) (0.2 pts) Calculate the free energy change at 25° C at pH 7.0 in a cell where the concentration of acetyl CoA, CoASH, and acetic acid are 1.2 mM, 85 M and 15 M, respectively. (Note: under standard conditions [H2O] = 1.0 M). d under the given cellular conditions or at equilibrium conditions? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

Answer for (a):

For a reaction under standard conditions G = G0 + RTlnQ

where Q is the ratio of concentrations of the products divided by the reactants.

For the given reaction

Acetyl CoA + H2O <========> CoASH + Acetic acid…………… G0 = -32kJ/mol = - 32000 J/mol

Acetyl CoA = 1.2 mM = 0.0012 M

CoASH = 85 mM = 85 x 10-6 M

Acetic acid = 15 mM = 15 x 10-6 M

H2O = 1 M

Temperature, T = 25o C = 25 + 273 = 298 K

R = 8.3144 J K1mol1

Substituting the above values into equation G = G0 + RTlnQ one will get the following:

G = - 32000 + 8.3144 (298) ln [15 x 10-6][ 85 x 10-6] /[1.2 x 10-3]

G = - 32000 + 8.3144 (298) ln [15 x 10-6][ 85 x 10-6] /[1.2 x 10-3]

G = - 32000 + 8.3144 (298) ln [1.0624 x 10-12]

G = - 32000 + 8.3144 (298) x (-27.5705)

G = - 32000 - 68311

G = - 100311 J mol1

G = - 100.311 kJ mol1

Answer for (b):

Under equilibrium conditions Q equals to K and G becomes G0. Since G of the above reaction,is larger than G0 the reaction is more favoured under standards conditions than under equilibrium conditions.

Answer for (c):

Yes millimolar concentrations of various components of a cell, such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and sugars, is possible. Further concentrations of several metabolites of a cell runs into more than a millimole For example the Acetyl CoA concentration in the above reaction is given as 1.2 mM. Similarly several metabolite concentrations runts into more than a millimole or even in tens of millimolar concentrations.