Energy-rich compounds

Most chemical reactions are exothermic. In the few endothermic reactions that are known, heat is absorbed into the reaction product or products, which are known as endothermic or energy-rich compounds. Such compounds are thermodynamically unstable because heat woiild be released on decomposition of their elements. The majority of endothermic compounds possess a tendency toward insta-bihty and possibly explosive decomposition under various circumstances of initiation. 

FIGURE 1.3 ATP and NADPH, two biochemically important energy-rich compounds. 

Three-membered rings with one hetero atom were known in the 19th century. Today they are of great interest, both scientifically and technically. Because of ring strain, they are energy-rich compounds comparable with cyclopropane. 

Two examples are dynein and kinesin. These huge proteins latch onto vesicles—membrane-bound compartments—filled with certain molecules and transport this cargo to another region of the cell. The proteins walk along filaments inside the cell, using the energy-rich compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as fuel. 

An advanced discussion of the chemistry of ATP and other energy-rich compounds. 

Biotin reacts with an oxidized carbon fragment (denoted as CO2) and an energy-rich compound, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), to form carboxy biotin, which is activated carbon dioxide. Biotin is firmly bound to its enzyme protein by a peptide linkage. Biotin and carboxy biotin are ... 

Ketone bodies (acetoacetate, /3-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone structures are presented in fig. 18.7) are made in the liver when /3 oxidation of fatty acids is in excess of that required by the liver. These water-soluble, energy-rich compounds are transported to other tissues for generation of energy. As we discuss later on, excess production of ketone bodies, that occurs during starvation or untreated diabetes, can be harmful. 

Krebs cycle The second metabolic pathway in aerobic cell respiration converts carbohydrates and lipids (sugars and fats) into carbon dioxide and water and produces energy-rich compounds, including some ATP. 

Grassi G, Hall DO (eds) (1988) Photocatalytic production of energy-rich compounds. Elsevier, London... 

Here a model of glycolysis in yeast [26] is reduced using the model reduction method outlined above. Glycolysis is the well known process that uses glucose to produce Gibbs energy-rich compounds such as pyruvate, and is depicted in Fig. 15.1. 

This Workshop is on Photochemical and Photobiological processes for producing energy rich compounds and more specifically we are part of the sub-programme Energy from biomass . 

Proceedings of Second EC Workshop on Photochemical and Pholobiological Processes for the Production of Energy-Rich Compounds, Seville, Spain, 22-25 September, 1987... 

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