Trial and Error

In science you will learn that experiments go wrong; that learning is a process of trial and error, and well, mostly error. You have to be careful with the ingredients and tools being used in a lab and keep an eye on things or you'll have to start over. Like, you can't leave things out in beakers and wait a week to start your lab or you'll end up with moldy substrates.

Also, it is important to pay attention to the chemicals being used and making sure that you wear proper protective equipment at all times. We used corrosive materials this week on cotton balls before we had to start the lab over because we didn't get the glass taped up and it slipped under water, causing our cotton balls to soak. We had to clean out our vials, and someone wasn't paying attention and got the corrosive material all over his hands and caused a skin irritation. (He quickly put on his gloves after washing his hands before continuing with cleaning the vials).
So, after many errors these past few weeks, hopefully we will be able to successfully complete our lab this week.

Another look into Cellular Respiration

Our bodies, as well as other organisms, obtain energy for its life functions through Cellular Respiration. It's pretty much the reverse process of Photosynthesis. Cellular Respiration is the taking our food and breaking it down in the presence of oxygen to make ATP.
ATP is pretty important, seeing as it's usable energy for the cell.

3 basic steps: Glycolysis, The Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle), and Oxidative Phosphorylation(E.T.C.).

Glycolysis is the only step that doesn't actually occur in the mitochondria, but outside of it in the cytoplasm. During glycolysis, glucose is split in half and some ATP is produced. *Just remember that it happens in an investment phase and a payoff phase. You have to put a little ATP in to get a bigger energy payoff. When glycolysis is finished, you end up with 2 NADH, 2 waters, 2 pyruvates, and 4 ATP. The net energy yield at the end of glycolysis would be 2 ATP and 2 NADH.

The Krebs Cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix. In the first series of reactions in the Krebs Cycle , the products from the 2 original pyruvates were 2 carbon dioxides, 2 acetyl coA, and 2 NADH. The first outcome we got was a 6 carbon compound. The second series of reactions left an outcome of a 4 carbon compound, 2 carbon dioxide, and 2 NADH. The third phase of the Krebs cycle will leave us with 1 FADH(subscript 2), 1 NADH, and 1 ATP.
Pretty much at the very end of this cycle you will see that our original 4 carbon molecule is reformed!

Oxidation Phosphorylation or E.T.C. ( Electron Transport Chain),occurs across the inner membrane of the mitochondria. When NADH and FADH(subscript 2) enter the electron transport chain they will give up 2 electrons and 1 proton, so that they will revert back to NAD(plus) and FAD, & go back to glycolysis and through the Krebs cycle to accept more electrons and protons. The E.T.C. creates a concentration gradient, and oxygen is required in order for the E.T.C. to operate. If oxygen isn't available, the Krebs cycle and E.T.C. will shutdown because the gradient disappears, and ATP production is shutdown. * to sum it up, electrons use energy or give energy to proteins to pump protons across the mitochondrial membrane.

energy

Metabolism- is the totality of an organism's chemical reactions; manages the material and energy resources of the cell.

Energy is the ability to do work. There are all sorts of energy. Kinetic Energy is anything that is moving, Potential is when something is still, but has store energy as a result of its position or structure. Chemical energy is a form of potential energy that is the amount of chemical energy that a molecule can possess depending on its chemical bonds.

Free Energy is part of the system's energy that is able to preform work when the temperature of a system is uniform.
Exergonic reaction is one in which energy is released; these reactions occur spontaneously and release free energy to the system. Endergonic reactions require energy; they absorb free energy and require free energy from the system,

Osmosis & Diffusion :)

Osmosis:  the  net movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from a region of low solute concentration to a solution with a high solute concentration, down a solute concentration gradient. Osmosis happens when the area surrounding the cell has a higher water concentration than inside the cell. The cell gains water along with important molecules and particles for growth. It also happens when water and particles move from cell to cell.

Diffusion: is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. Doesn't need water to occur.

PLASMA MEMBRANE

It a biological membrane of the cell, forms the external covering of both types of cells, the prokaryotic and eukaryotic. It serves as an outer boundary, preventing the cell from the invasion of outer germs. The plasma consists of many macromolecules, lipids and proteins that help in the regulation of body functions.  The fluid mosaic model and lipid bilayer are two major parts of its structure.

Cellular Respiration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, there are two types of cellular respiration: Aerobic and anaerobic. 
Cellular Respiration is the taking of our food and breaking it down in the presence of oxygen to make ATP.

There are 3 steps of Cell Respiration: Glycolysis (which actually takes place outside of the mitochondria in the cytoplasm), The Kreb Cycle, and E.T.C.

1. Glycolysis- the glucose is broken down into 2 molecules of pyruvates; generating ATP, as well as making a chemical called NADH. The pyruvates are going to diffuse into the mitochondria, where it will be converted by a pyruvate dehydrogenase complex into Acetyl coA. Gives off a third of the carbon.

2. Kreb Cycle- Gets rid of more CO2, and gives more energy to NADH. During the series of eight reactions that make up the Kreb's cycle, the two acetyl-coA molecules are oxidized, yielding two more molecules of carbon dioxide and 2 ATP. The carbon dioxide generated in these two processes is the carbon dioxide we exhale when we breathe.

3. E. T. C.- (Electron Transport Chain)  ATP energy comes from the oxidation of NADH and FADH2 by the 4 protein complexes of E. T. C.  The 10 NADH that enter the E. T. C. originate from each of the earlier processes of respiration: 2 from glycolysis, 2 from the transformation of pyruvate into acetyl-CoA, and 6 from the Kreb's cycle.