The energy of combustion of glucose is measured to be about 670 kcal/mol in a bomb calorimeter (aka a constant volume calorimeter). By comparison, your body metabolizes glucose to initiate a series of reactions that lead to creation of enough ATP from ADP to do about 268 kcal of work for each mole of glucose. In both cases, the oxidation of glucose follows the same balanced chemical reaction:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 â 6CO2 + 6H2O.
(a) How much of the 670 kcal/mol is released as heat (q) in the bomb calorimeter? Justify your calculation of q using any relevant laws of thermodynamics.
(b) What is the most efficient process or cycle you can use to convert q from the glucose combustion into work? Write down any relevant expressions that can be used to quantify the efficiency of this process.
(c)Given your answer in part (b), estimate the maximum amount of work your body could do given the heat q released from combustion of 1 mole of glucose. Express your answer in kcal/mol and compare it to the amount of work your body is able to utlize from metabolism of 1 mole of glucose. Explain any assumptions you made in your calculation.
The energy of combustion of glucose is measured to be about 670 kcal/mol in a bomb calorimeter (aka a constant volume calorimeter). By comparison, your body metabolizes glucose to initiate a series of reactions that lead to creation of enough ATP from ADP to do about 268 kcal of work for each mole of glucose. In both cases, the oxidation of glucose follows the same balanced chemical reaction:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 â 6CO2 + 6H2O.
(a) How much of the 670 kcal/mol is released as heat (q) in the bomb calorimeter? Justify your calculation of q using any relevant laws of thermodynamics.
(b) What is the most efficient process or cycle you can use to convert q from the glucose combustion into work? Write down any relevant expressions that can be used to quantify the efficiency of this process.
(c)Given your answer in part (b), estimate the maximum amount of work your body could do given the heat q released from combustion of 1 mole of glucose. Express your answer in kcal/mol and compare it to the amount of work your body is able to utlize from metabolism of 1 mole of glucose. Explain any assumptions you made in your calculation.
