In living cells, true equilibrium is dangerous because if the rate of a forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction, a wasteful cycle is produced during which the cell gains no new nutrients. In this situation, the cell will eventually die. Therefore, organisms have many ways of ensuring that reactions move only in the forward direction. One of these means is control over reactant concentration. The Citric Acid Cycle is a series of reactions that occur in eukaryotic cell mitochondria which are essential for providing energy to living cells. During one of these reactions, a molecule known as oxaloacetate is combined with acetyl coenzyme-A to produce citrate. Normally, the concentration of oxaloacetate in mitochondria is very low. If the cell is in need of more energy and the concentration of oxaloacetate increases, what will happen to the direction and of this reaction? How do you suppose this affects the overall amount of energy product produced?
In living cells, true equilibrium is dangerous because if the rate of a forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction, a wasteful cycle is produced during which the cell gains no new nutrients. In this situation, the cell will eventually die. Therefore, organisms have many ways of ensuring that reactions move only in the forward direction. One of these means is control over reactant concentration. The Citric Acid Cycle is a series of reactions that occur in eukaryotic cell mitochondria which are essential for providing energy to living cells. During one of these reactions, a molecule known as oxaloacetate is combined with acetyl coenzyme-A to produce citrate. Normally, the concentration of oxaloacetate in mitochondria is very low. If the cell is in need of more energy and the concentration of oxaloacetate increases, what will happen to the direction and of this reaction? How do you suppose this affects the overall amount of energy product produced?
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