Question

hans krebs used thin slices of pigeon breast as part of his experimental system to elucidate the cyclic pathway that bears his name. the thin slices of pigeon breast were rich in mitochondria, and he found that he could measure the activity of the tca cycle by monitoring the amount of oxygen consumed. (why this is so will make more sense when we get to our chapter on oxidative phosphorylation and the electron transport chain.) krebs found that when he added 3 micromol of citric acid to his preparation, 36 micromol of oxygen were consumed, which was greater than would be expected if the citric acid was simply metabolized to co2 and h2o? by what factor do you have to multiply the expected amount of oxygen consumed (on the basis of stoichiometry) to equal the actual amount of oxygen consumed? enter your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

The expected amount of oxygen consumed in the TCA cycle needs to be multiplied by a factor of 12 to equal the actual amount consumed.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hans Krebs used thin slices of pigeon breast rich in mitochondria to study the TCA cycle. He found that the activity of the TCA cycle can be measured by monitoring the amount of oxygen consumed.

When he added 3 micromol of citric acid, 36 micromol of oxygen were consumed, which is greater than expected.

To determine the factor by which the expected amount of oxygen consumed needs to be multiplied to equal the actual amount, divide the actual amount by the expected amount: 36 ÷ 3 = 12.

Therefore, the expected amount of oxygen consumed needs to be multiplied by a factor of 12 to equal the actual amount consumed.