Redox reactions biological respiration

Redox reactions are ubiquitous and occur in numerous biological processes. In mitochondrial respiration, ATP production is coupled to electron transport. Electrons are transferred from complex I, II, III, and IV, through a series of redox reactions that create a proton gradient outside of the mitochondrial membrane allowing for the production of ATP. Redox reactions are also extremely important in metabolism. CYPs and FMOs rely on redox reactions for their catalytic function (see Chapter 10). 

Without biological electron transfer reactions (also called reduction/oxidation or redox reactions) life would not exist. Well-organized electron transfer reactions in a series of membrane-bound redox proteins form the basis for energy conservation in photosynthesis and respiration. The basic reaction is simply the transfer of electrons from the donor to the final electron acceptor. Perhaps the best example of these redox reactions, their importance for living organisms, and the nature of the different type of biocatalysts that are involved is the respiration chain present in the membranes of mitochondria. The membrane-bound nature of this electron transport chain, supporting electron transfer from NADH to O2 as... 

Electron transport is by virtue of a reversible valency change of the inorganic heme iron the main biological function of the cytochromes in various biological redox reactions (e.g. respiration, photosynthesis). The porphyrin ligand can always participate in the sequence of reactions. 

Electron transfer copper proteins usually belong to the blue copper proteins (Type 1) azurin is a simple example. This family of proteins are also called cupredoxins, and they participate in many redox reactions involved in processes fundamental to biology, such as respiration or photosynthesis. The striking electron transfer capabilities of blue copper proteins have been studied extensively. Plastocyanin, with a tetrahedral CUN2S2 core, acts as the electron donor to Photo System I in photosynthesis in higher plants and some algae. 

We shall also see that such apparently unrelated processes as oxidation of fuels, respiration, and photosynthesis are actually all closely related, for in each of them an electron, sometimes accompanied by a group of atoms, is transferred from one species to another. Indeed, together with the proton transfer typical of acid-base reactions, processes in which electrons are transferred, the so-called redox reactions, account for many of the reactions encountered in chemistry and biology. 

Electron transfer (ET) is a key reaction in biological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration [1], Photosynthetic and respiratory chain redox proteins contain one or more redox-active prosthetic groups, which may be metal complexes or organic species. Since it is known from crystal structure analyses that the prosthetic groups often are located in the protein interior, it is likely that ET in protein-protein complexes will occur over large molecular distances ( > 10 A) [2-4],... 

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. 

Biological cell membranes are multi-component systems consisting of a fluid bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) and integrated membrane proteins. The main structural features of the BLMs are determined by a wide variety of amphiphilic lipids whose polar head groups are exposed to water while hydrocarbon tails form the nonpolar interior. The BLMs act as the medium for biochemical vectorial membrane processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and active ion transport. However, they do not participate in the corresponding chemical reactions which occur in membrane-dissolved proteins and often need redox-active cofactors. BLMs were therefore mostly investigated by physical chemists who studied their thermodynamics and kinetic behaviour . ... 

A long time contact of the dissolved fraction with particulate matter can produce changes in the distribution of chemical forms of heavy metals in solution. Any change in the equilibrium conditions after collection can promote or remove dissolved metals (54) or desorption of adsorbed metals operated by particulate. Biological activity involves photosynthesis and respiration which will change the carbon dioxide content of the water and its pH. All the equilibrium reactions affected by pH will be altered, e.g., the reactions of precipitation, complexation and redox involving heavy metals. 

Electron-transfer (ET) reactions play a central role in all biological systems ranging from energy conversion processes (e.g., photosynthesis and respiration) to the wide diversity of chemical transformations catalyzed by different enzymes (1). In the former, cascades of electron transport take place in the cells where multicentered macromolecules are found, often residing in membranes. The active centers of these proteins often contain transition metal ions [e.g., iron, molybdenum, manganese, and copper ions] or cofactors as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and flavins. The question of evolutionary selection of specific structural elements in proteins performing ET processes is still a topic of considerable interest and discussion. Moreover, one key question is whether such stmctural elements are simply of physical nature (e.g., separation distance between redox partners) or of chemical nature (i.e., providing ET pathways that may enhance or reduce reaction rates). 

In the biological reactions associated with metabolism systems of electron and hydrogen transport are associated with both respiration and photosynthesis. The electron transport or respiratory chains, involved with the oxidation of organic and inorganic substances by the micro-organisms include a series of components each of which can exist in two forms, i.e. oxidised or reduced forms. Each component of the system is characterised by a constant redox potential. 

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