Final answer:
Cyanide poisoning interrupts cellular respiration, leading to a decrease in ATP synthesis. It also causes an increase in the pH of the intermembrane space.
Step-by-step explanation:
When cyanide poisoning occurs, it inhibits cytochrome c oxidase, a component of the electron transport chain in mitochondria. As a result, it interferes with cellular respiration, which is the process by which cells generate energy in the form of ATP. Cyanide prevents the final step of oxidative phosphorylation, which leads to a decrease in ATP synthesis.
This interruption in cellular respiration can be lethal because the cells are unable to produce enough energy to carry out their essential functions.
For the question regarding the pH of the intermembrane space, when cyanide inhibits cytochrome c oxidase, it disrupts the pumping of protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. This disruption prevents the establishment of a proton gradient, causing the pH of the intermembrane space to increase.