Final answer:
The phosphorylation of glucose in glycolysis is an example of an energetically unfavorable reaction that is driven by the energy released from ATP hydrolysis. This coupling of an exergonic and endergonic reaction allows biochemical processes such as glycolysis and the sodium-potassium pump operation to occur.
Step-by-step explanation:
An example of an energetically unfavorable reaction being driven by ATP hydrolysis is the phosphorylation of glucose during the first step of glycolysis. In this biochemical process, ATP hydrolysis provides the energy necessary to add a phosphate group to glucose, forming glucose-6-phosphate, which is an important step in the metabolic pathway of glycolysis. This reaction is significant since it essentially primes the glucose molecule for subsequent breakdown and energy extraction within the cell. The free energy release of ATP hydrolysis, which is an exergonic reaction, is used to drive this endogonic reaction, making it energetically favorable when coupled together.
The enzyme pyruvate kinase demonstrates a similar coupling mechanism during glycolysis, where it utilizes the energy from the exergonic hydrolysis of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to drive the phosphorylation of ADP to ATP. On a cellular level, the sodium-potassium pump also relies on the energy from ATP hydrolysis to maintain the essential ion gradients across the cell membrane, highlighting the way in which enzymatic reactions can couple unfavorable processes to the favorable hydrolysis of ATP.