You buy a quarter pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal from McDonalds ( assume you drink water. Answer the following questions.
Assumptions
1. All proteins involved in the sandwich are tripeptides
2. 1 molecule of fat makes 5 molecules of Acetyl CoA
3. 1 molecule of Carbohydrates make 6 molecules of Glucose
4. Ignore all other components( fibers, nuclei acids, ect)
5. Assume the you are in starvation state
How much pyruvate does this meal produce ?
How much Actyl CoA does this meal produce
How many electrons are sent to oxidative phosphorylation
Assuming for 8 electrons produces 36 ATP, How many ATP does this meal produce?( Don't forget ATP in the Citric Aid Cycle and Glycolysis
To answer these questions, we need to understand the process of metabolism and how energy is derived from food. Let's break down each question step by step.
1. How much pyruvate does this meal produce?
To answer this, we need to determine the amount of carbohydrates (glucose) in the meal because pyruvate is a product of glucose metabolism. Given the assumption that 1 molecule of carbohydrates makes 6 molecules of glucose, let's calculate:
Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal typically contains 42 grams of carbohydrates (source: McDonald's nutrition information).
So, we convert grams to moles (assuming glucose has a molar mass of 180 grams/mol) and apply the conversion factor.
42 grams of carbohydrates * (1 mol/180 grams) * 6 = 1.4 mol of glucose
Therefore, this meal would produce 1.4 mol of pyruvate.
2. How much Acetyl CoA does this meal produce?
Acetyl CoA is produced from the breakdown of fatty acids and glucose in metabolism. To calculate the amount of Acetyl CoA, we need to determine the fat content of the meal.
A Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains approximately 19 grams of fat (source: McDonald's nutrition information). Given the assumption that 1 molecule of fat makes 5 molecules of Acetyl CoA, let's calculate:
19 grams of fat * (1 mol/60 grams) * 5 = 1.58 mol of Acetyl CoA
Therefore, this meal would produce 1.58 mol of Acetyl CoA.
3. How many electrons are sent to oxidative phosphorylation?
Oxidative phosphorylation occurs in the mitochondria and involves the transfer of electrons from NADH and FADH2 to produce ATP. To determine the number of electrons sent to oxidative phosphorylation, we need to calculate the number of NADH and FADH2 molecules produced during metabolism.
In glycolysis, one molecule of glucose (which we estimated to produce 1.4 mol of pyruvate) generates 2 NADH molecules.
Furthermore, in the citric acid cycle, each molecule of Acetyl CoA (which we estimated to produce 1.58 mol) generates 3 NADH and 1 FADH2.
So, calculating the total number of electrons:
(2 NADH * 1.4 mol) + (3 NADH + 1 FADH2 * 1.58 mol) = 15.08 mol of electrons
Therefore, this meal would produce 15.08 mol of electrons sent to oxidative phosphorylation.
4. Assuming 8 electrons produce 36 ATP, how many ATP does this meal produce?
We need to convert the number of electrons produced to the equivalent number of ATP by applying the conversion factor of 8 electrons producing 36 ATP. Let's calculate:
15.08 mol of electrons * (36 ATP/8 electrons) = 67.8 mol of ATP
Therefore, this meal would produce approximately 67.8 mol of ATP.
Please note that these calculations are based on the provided assumptions and estimations, and actual metabolic processes can be more complex.