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Energy Transfer in Living Organisms

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-Define the laws of thermodynamics. Include an example to support your definition.
-What is Gibbs free energy? What are consequences for a biochemical reaction when Gibbs free energy is negative? Explain the role of enzymes when Gibbs free energy is negative and when it is positive.
-Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has been called the currency of all living things. Explain what this statement means.
-What is an absorption spectra? Explain why a green leaf looks green. Is it the same reason a red leaf looks red? Explain your answer.

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Solution Summary

This solution summarizes the laws of thermodynamics with examples of each law. It also discusses Gibbs free energy and how it relates to chemical reactions. A brief definition of ATP is included as well as a brief explanation of why a leaf looks green.

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1. The laws of thermodynamics are a set of scientific principles which dictate how temperature, entropy, and energy behave under various circumstances. They are as follows;

Zeroth law- if 2 systems are in equilibrium with 3rd system, they are also in equilibrium with each other.
First law-when heat is added to a system, some of that energy stays in the system and some of it leaves the system and enters the environment surrounding the system. Ex: an internal combustion engine.
Second law-no reaction is 100% efficient and heat flows from hot areas to cold areas.
3rd law-the entropy of a system approaches zero as the system ...

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