Question

Most cells cannot harness heat to perform work because

a. cells do not have much heat; they are relatively cool.
b. heat must remain constant during work.
c. heat is not a form of energy.
d. temperature is usually uniform throughout a cell.
e. heat can never be used to do work.

Answer 1

The correct answer is d. temperature is usually uniform throughout a cell.

Step-by-step explanation:

• Cell utilise chemical energy for carrying out its metabolism.
• The chief form of chemical energy used by cells is ATP or adenosine triphosphate that stores a lot of energy in the phosphate-ester bonds.
• Chemical energy is also stored in the form of lipid or fatty acids.
• In the cells release of heat energy is not possible because, other than chemical energy cells stores energy in the form of electrochemical gradient (gradient of specific ions like K⁺ or Na⁺ ), proton gradient, etc, across membranes.
• This is because cells require a specific temperature, that is, the body temperature, to carry out metabolism at an optimal rate.
• If heat energy is utilised or released in any chemical process it can cause alteration in body temperature, thereby affecting the process of metabolism.