Question

The electron transport chain is based on the principle that redox couples with more positive reduction potentials will donate electorns to couples with more negative potentials.

Answer 1

The electron transport chain is a series of proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane that transport electrons, release energy, and generate ATP.

Step-by-step explanation:

The electron transport chain (ETC) is a crucial component of cellular respiration, where high-energy electrons are shuttled through a series of proteins embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

This process is instrumental in the generation of ATP, the energy currency of the cell. Electrons originating from NADH and FADH2 are transferred to increasingly electronegative carriers within the mitochondrial membrane.

As electrons move through the ETC, they go from carriers with a more positive reduction potential to those with a more negative potential.

The energy released from these redox reactions enables the pumping of protons across the mitochondrial membrane, creating an electrochemical gradient.

This proton gradient, coupled with the return of protons to the mitochondrial matrix via ATP synthase, facilitates the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate in a process known as oxidative phosphorylation.

Oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor in the chain, which is reduced to water alongside the release of energy used to produce ATP.

By establishing a controlled flow of electrons and harnessing the associated energy, the ETC prevents the explosive release of energy that would occur if electrons were directly transferred from NADH or FADH2 to oxygen.

Instead, the energy is captured efficiently to power important cellular functions.