Coupled oxidation, reduction reactions

Transfer of hydrogen from one substrate to another in a coupled oxidation-reduction reaction (Figure 11-3). These dehydrogenases are specific for their substrates but often utilize common coenzymes or hydrogen carriers, eg, NAD". Since the reactions are re-... 

Finnegan, W. G., and R. L. Pitter, Preliminary Study of Coupled Oxidation-Reduction Reactions of Included Ions in Growing Ice Crystals—Reply, Atmos. Environ., 25, 2912-2913 (1991). 

Like RT3D, BioRedox is a 3-D model that is capable of modeling multi-species reactive transport [70]. The public domain model can simulate coupled oxidation-reduction reactions between multiple electron acceptors and donors. Except for rate-limited sorption, it is capable of simulating all the reactions simulated by RT3D, and is more user-friendly, in that no modifications to source code are required to incorporate reaction packages [70]. 

The basis of all electrochemical analysis is the transfer of electrons from one atom or molecule to another atom or molecule in an obligately coupled oxidation-reduction reaction (a redox reaction). 

In yeast and mycelial fungi, xylose is metabolized via coupled oxidation-reduction reactions . Xylose reductase is the enzyme involved in the reduction of xylose to xylitol. Sequential enzymatic events, through the oxidation of xylitol to xylulose, lead to the utilization of xylose. Many yeast species utilize xylose readily, but the ethanol production capability is very limited. Only a few yeast species effectively produce ethanol from xylose these include Pachysolen tan-nophilus, Candida shihatae and Pichia stipitis [80]. The production of ethanol from xylose by these three yeast strains has been studied extensively in recent years. Recently, genetically engineered yeast strains have been constructed for more effective conversion of xylose to ethanol. 

Unlike the oxidation of glucose by oxygen (as in a fire), most biological oxidations do not involve direct transfer of electrons from a substrate directly to oxygen. Instead, a series of coupled oxidation-reduction reactions occurs, with the electrons passed to intermediate electron carriers such as NAD+ before they are finally transferred to oxygen. 

The coenzyme for the oxidation-reduction reactions of fatty acid synthesis is NADP /NADPH, whereas degradation involves the NAD /NADH couple. 

Fig. 3-4 Electron transport process schematic, showing coupled series of oxidation-reduction reactions that terminate with the reduction of molecular oxygen to water. The three molecules of ATP shown are generated by an enzyme called ATPase which is located in the cell membrane and forms ATP from a proton gradient created across the membrane.

The reactions discussed above show that arsenic(fV) is of redox amphoteric character and a stronger reducing agent than arsenic(in), but at the same time it is a stronger oxidant than arsenic(V). Partners of the oxidation-reduction reactions of arsenic(fV) known so far can be seen in Table 13. It follows from the redox amphoteric character that the oxidation potentials of couples involving arsenic species are in the order... 

Spiro [27] has derived quantitative expressions for the catalytic effect of electron conducting catalysts on oxidation-reduction reactions in solution in which the catalyst assumes the Emp imposed on it by the interacting redox couples. When both partial reaction polarization curves in the region of Emp exhibit Tafel type kinetics, he determined that the catalytic rate of reaction will be proportional to the concentrations of the two reactants raised to fractional powers in many simple cases, the power is one. On the other hand, if the polarization curve of one of the reactants shows diffusion-controlled kinetics, the catalytic rate of reaction will be proportional to the concentration of that reactant alone. Electroless metal deposition systems, at least those that appear to obey the MPT model, may be considered to be a special case of the general class of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions treated by Spiro. 

Theoretically, according to the mechanism of biological azo dye reduction, the processes of biological decolorization are oxidation-reduction reactions, in which transfer of electrons match with the proton flow by the help of coenzymes, such as NADPH/NADP+ and NADH/NAD+. The oxidation-reduction potentials of the couples of NADPH/NADP+ and NADH/NAD+ are -324 and -320 mV, respectively [25, 46]. The least AGo value of the conversion NADPH/NADP+ and NADH/NAD+ is 44 kJ [47]. Therefore, —93 mV, which is obtained from (1), could be considered as a rough limited ORP value for ordinary primary electron donors of the third mechanism of biological azo dye reduction. This was demonstrated by the results of many researches (Table 1). Hence, the observed failure of cyanocobala-min [30] and ethyl viologen [48] to act as a mediator is most probably due to their too low Ed values 530 and —480 mV, respectively. 

Figure 9.1. Oxidation-reduction reactions that, when coupled, produce an electric current.

All oxidation reactions are coupled to reduction reactions. In many cases redox reactions can also involve or be affected by changes in the surrounding environment, such as changes in the pH or temperature (i.e., endothermic or exothermic reactions). Many elements in the subsurface can exist in various oxidation states, some examples include elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, iron, cobalt, vanadium, and nickel. 

Site-specific inhibitors of electron transport shown using a mechanical model for the coupling of oxidation-reduction reactions. [Note Figure illustrates normal direction of electron flow.]... 

Site-specific inhibitors Site-specific inhibitors of electron transport have been identified and are illustrated in Figure 6.10. These compounds prevent the passage of electrons by binding to a component of the chain, blocking the oxidation/reduction reaction. Therefore, all electron carriers before the block are fully reduced, whereas those located after the block are oxidized. [Note Because electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation are tightly coupled, site-specific inhibition of the electron transport chain also inhibits ATP synthesis.]... 

We live under a blanket of the powerful oxidant 02. By cell respiration oxygen is reduced to H20, which is a very poor reductant. Toward the other end of the scale of oxidizing strength lies the very weak oxidant H+, which some bacteria are able to convert to the strong reductant H2. The 02 -H20 and H+ - H2 couples define two biologically important oxidation-reduction (redox) systems. Lying between these two systems are a host of other pairs of metabolically important substances engaged in oxidation-reduction reactions within cells. 

A second way of expressing the same information is to give electrode potentials (Table 6-8). Electrode potentials are also important in that their direct measurement sometimes provides an experimental approach to the study of oxidation-reduction reactions within cells. To measure an electrode potential it must be possible to reduce the oxidant of the couple by flow of electrons (Eq. 6-62) from an electrode surface, often of specially prepared platinum. 

An oxidation-reduction reaction that is not spontaneous, for which the calculated cell potential is negative, may be induced by electrolysis. This reaction can be due to an external electrical potential to force electrons into the couple undergoing reduction and to extract electrons from the couple undergoing oxidation. The minimum external potential required for electrolysis is the value of the calculated cell potential for the reaction. 

In true fermentation, the free energy drop between substrate (say glucose) and anaerobic end products is always modest by comparison with respiration, because fermentation is never based on electron transfer chains coupled to phosphorylation. Rather, true fermentations depend upon a variety of oxidation-reduction reactions involving organic compounds, C02, molecular hydrogen, or sulfur compounds. All these reactions are inefficient in terms of energy yield (moles ATP per mole substrate fermented), and, therefore, the mass of cells obtainable per mole of substrate is much smaller than with respiratory-dependent species. 

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