The conservation of free energy available from biochemical processes occurs
through coupling between reactions. The role
of coupling, with examples from glycolysis, is discussed in detail here.
Making the equations more convenient
Because of the complexity of biochemical processes, the equations relating
free energy to concentration of reactant can become unwieldy. In order
to make the equations more useful, they are
modified so as to refer to concentrations which can be readily assayed.
DGo' for ATP hydrolysis
The reaction of ATP hydrolysis provides
an example of the use of the adjustments discussed in the paragraph above.
Oxidation reduction potentials
Examples of oxidation reduction reactions can be found in all major metabolic
pathways, and dominate the oxidative metabolism of the mitochondria. Oxidation
reduction potentials are important in thermodynamics because they provide
a method for the direct measurement of the free energy available from a
reaction.
