Thermodynamics of Biological

Systems

Dr. Ang Geik Yong

Integrative Pharmacogenomics
Institute (iPROMISE),
Level 7, FF3, Universiti Teknologi
MARA (UiTM),
Puncak Alam Campus,
42300 Bandar Puncak Alam,
Selangor, Malaysia.
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 Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this lecture, students should
be able to:
• understand laws and principles of
thermodynamics
• understand the correlations between
thermodynamic and biochemical events
 Differentiate between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Law
of thermodynamics
 Understand the free energy mechanism
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What is the source of energy and how
cell use energy?
• Energy : the capacity to do work
• Cells require energy for a number of purposes
– Synthesis of large molecule
– Cell division (mitosis and meiosis)
– Uptake of nutrients
– Active transport in cells

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 Oxidation /
reduction
Oxidation/ reduction

Thermodynamics
is involved in
various situations

Formation/ ATP-
breakdown ADP cycle
of chemical
bonds
Catabolism/
anabolism

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Catabolism/ anabolism
What is the source of energy and how
cell use energy?
• Light from the sun is the ultimate source of
energy for all life on earth
 photosynthetic organisms trap light as energy source
to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and
carbohydrates

 non-photosynthetic organisms consume food such as

carbohydrates and use them as energy sources.
Large molecules are to broken down into smaller
molecules and with the release of ATP

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 Energy Transfer
• Energy acquired from sunlight or food is needed to
drive endergonic (energy-requiring) processes in the
organisms.
• Two classes of biomolecules are involved:
– Reduced coenzymes (NADH, FADH2)
• the high-energy electrons from these molecules are
passed along in an electron-transport chain to drive the
production of ATP
– High-energy phosphate compounds (ATP) –
• free energy of hydrolysis more negative than -25 kJ/mol

ATP + H2O → ADP + Pi ∆G = -30.5 kJ/mol

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 ATP production

• PEP (phosphoenolpyruvate) & 1,3-BPG (1,3 bis-phosphoglycerate)

are created in the course of glucose breakdown
• Their energy (and phosphates) are transferred to ADP to form ATP
• ATP is only a transient energy carrier - it quickly passes its energy to a
host of energy-requiring processes
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 The energetics of a chemical
reaction

• Free energy : the energy that is available in the

system that can be used to do work/motion
• Free energy is indicated by the symbol G (Gibbs
free energy)
• It is impossible to measure the absolute values of
energy. Only the change in free energy (ΔG) can be
measured
• Spontaneity of a process is indicated by ΔG under 2
conditions:
• (1) constant temperature
• (2) constant pressure 8
 Spontaneity of a process
ΔG < 0 (negative)
• Spontaneous process (take place without outside
intervention
• exergonic (energy is released)
ΔG =0
• Process at equilibrium (no net change will occur)
ΔG > 0 (positive)
• Non-spontaneous process (require additional
energy from an external source)
• endergonic (energy is absorbed)
Time is not a part of the thermodynamic definition of a spontaneous process.
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A spontaneous process may or may not happen immediately, or at all.
ΔG > 0 or ΔG < 0
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 What Are the Basic Concepts of
Thermodynamics?
• The word thermodynamics includes the ideas of heat (thermo-)
and change (dynamics)
• Thermodynamics : a collection of laws and principles describing
the flow and interchange of heat, energy and mass in a system of
interest
• The system : specific region in space chosen for study
• The surroundings : the region outside the system

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 Basic Concepts of Thermodynamics
• Open system - can exchange both energy and matter
with its surroundings and hence, can undergo changes
in composition
• Closed system - can exchange energy but not matter
with its surrounding
• Isolated system : cannot exchange both matter and
energy with its surrounding

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Bioenergetics is a study of the various types of
energy transformations that occur in living organism
o Chemical energy
– stored in chemicals bond of molecules (e.g. glucose)
o Nuclear energy
– within atomic nuclei
o Radiant / solar energy
– energy emitted from the sun in the form of electromagnetic
waves
o Heat energy
– a form of thermal energy which transfers from a hotter object
to a colder one
o Electrical energy
– energy to move charged particles
o Mechanical energy
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– energy in an object due to its motion or position, or both
 Two alternate states of energy
Potential energy
– is the stored energy in an object by virtue of its
position or configuration
– e.g. rock perched on edge of cliff has potential to do
work since it exists in a field of force (a gravitational
field)
Kinetic energy
- is the energy which a body posesses because of its
motion
- e.g. rock falling over cliff edge
Internal energy (E) is the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of
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the particles of a system
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 Two factors must be considered in the
measurement of energy at work
1. Potential factor
- the ‘driving force’ factor
- proportional to the intensity of the force field
- e.g. - distance if rock will fall due to gravitational force
- voltage gradient when considering the movement
of charged ions

2. Capacity factor
- provides measurement of the capacity (size/mass) of the
matter and its movements
- e.g. - mass of rock
- The combined charge of particles when
considering movement of charged ions) 20
 The Laws of Thermodynamics
• The laws summarize the interaction on how
different forms of energy can be interconverted
• 1st : Energy can neither be created or destroyed, it
can only be transferred
• 2nd : In any spontaneous process, the entropy of
the universe increases
• 3rd : Entropy must be zero when temperature
approaches 0 K

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 The First Law

Law of conservation of energy

• Energy can neither be created or destroyed but only changed from
one form into another or transferred from one object to another
• The internal energy of in an isolated system is constant
• The total amount of energy of the universe is constant
(∆Euniverse = ∆Esystem + ∆Esurrounding )
• The change in the energy of the universe is zero (∆Euniverse = 0)
• e.g.
– electrical, chemical and mechanical are different forms of energy
– potential energy of water in a dam can be turned into kinetic energy
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which can then become electric energy
 Enthalpy (H)
• Enthalpy (H), is a defined energy that is based on the
internal energy ( H = E + PV )
• Discussions of the first law focus on the change in
enthalpy (∆H) i.e. the heat of a reaction at constant
pressure
∆G = ∆H - T∆S
• The change in free energy (ΔG) is equal to the sum of
the changes in the enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) at
a constant temperature (T)

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 Enthalpy (H)
∆H<0
• Exothermic: reaction that
results in heat lost to the
environment
• Spontaneous

∆H>0
• Endothermic: reaction
accompanied by or
requiring the absorption of
heat from the environment
• Non-spontaneous 24
 Entropy (S)
• A measure of disorder or randomness
• The terms refer to the random molecular energy
within a system in the form of translational,
rotational, and vibrational motion of the particles
– e.g. Increasing the temperature increases the
random motion of the particles within a substance
and, thus, increases its entropy
– Ice or liquid water has a higher entropy?
• An ordered state has low entropy
• A disordered state has high entropy
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Entropy (S)

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 The Second Law
Systems Tend Toward Disorder and Randomness
• In any spontaneous process, the entropy of the universe
increases
• All physical and chemical changes occur such that the total
entropy of the universe increases
• Systems tend to proceed from ordered to disordered states
• Isolated systems always evolve toward thermal equilibrium
which is a state with maximum entropy
• The entropy of an isolated system that is not in equilibrium
will tend to increase until it the system reaches
thermodynamic equilibrium (minimum potential energy)
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 The Second Law
Systems Tend Toward Disorder and Randomness
• The consequence of a spontaneous reaction is that some
energy must always be discarded as heat
• Therefore, no process requiring
an energy conversion is ever
100% efficient because much of
energy is dispersed as heat,
resulting in an increase in
entropy

• e.g. food web

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 The Third Law

“Absolute Zero”
• Entropy must be zero when temperature approaches 0 K
• The entropy of a pure crystalline substance is zero at
absolute zero
• A pure crystalline substance is one in which the
molecules are in perfect alignment with one another
and every molecule is identical.
• As temperature ↑, the random motions of the particles
in a substance ↑and therefore entropy increases
• As temperature ↓, the random motions of the particles
in a substance ↓ and therefore entropy decreases 29
Thermodynamics in glucose metabolism

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End of lecture

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