Storage and Utilization of Energy

Lynch, F. E. and Snape, E., The Role of Metal Hydrides in Hydrogen Storage and Utilization, "Hydrogen Energy Systems", 1978, Zurich, Pergamon Press, 3, 1475. 

Chemical reactions in living systems involve orderly release, storage, or utilization of energy. Knowledge of thermodynamics and kinetics is essential to appreciate how this occurs. Thermodynamics deals with the changes in energy content between reactants and products, whereas kinetics is concerned with the reaction rates. 

For the species to survive, it is necessary for us to store excess food when we eat and to use these stores when we are fasting. Regulatory mechanisms direct compounds through the pathways of metabolism involved in the storage and utilization of fuels. These mechanisms are controlled by hormones, by the concentration of available fuels, and by the energy needs of the body. 

Anderson, F. C., and Pandy, M. G. (1993). Storage and utilization of elastic strain energy during jumping. Journal of Biomechanics, 26 1413-1427. 

From the applied point of view, this reaction can be used to solve some important issues (1) production of organic subproducts (e.g., methanol, carbon monoxide, oxalic acid), which can be used for synthesizing many valuable organic substances (2) manufacture of synthetic fuels or energy-storage media and (3) removal and utilization of carbon dioxide in life-support systems for closed environments of spacecraft or submarines. 

Conway BE, Birss V, Wojtowicz. The role and utilization of pseudocapacitance for energy storage by supercapacitors. J. Power Sources 1997 66 1-14. 

Conceptual Insights, Overview of Carbohydrate and Fatty Acid Metabolism. View this media module to better understand how glycogen metabolism fits in with other energy storage and utilization pathways (glycolysis, citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, and fatty acid metabolism). 

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