Effect of different amounts of ADP

Using the graph you have generated for this experiment, answer the following question about the oxygen consumption following the addition of the differing amounts of ADP.

(hint: there are two correct answers)

Effect of ADP

What happens to oxygen consumption when more ADP is added to the chamber?

There are two correct answers. 

Electron Donor

When glutamate is used as the substrate for the electron transport chain what is feeding electrons into the electron transport chain?

Effect of ADP

Hopefully, you will have noticed that the rate of oxygen consumption increased when ADP was added. 

Why does the rate of oxygen consumption change when ADP is added?

Fill in the blanks:

As electrons pass down the electron transport chain, they are finally donated to the terminal electron acceptor which is ______; this converts the oxygen into ______ so the concentration in the electrode ______.

Oxygen Electrode Design

Look at the diagram above of a common design of an oxygen electrode.

• The sample chamber is surrounded by a water jacket, so that it can be maintained at a constant temperature.
• The adjustable stopper seals the sample chamber away from the atmosphere so that oxygen cannot be replaced as it is used.
• A narrow hole through the adjustable stopper allows additions to be made to the sample chamber.
• A magnetically-driven stirring bar at the bottom of the sample chamber rotates to keep the contents thoroughly mixed.

The Oxygen Electrode

An oxygen electrode measures the concentration of dissolved oxygen in a solution. One application of this equipment is to investigate mitochondrial function, since the electron transport chain uses oxygen as the final electron acceptor.

If functional isolated mitochondria were added to a solution in an oxygen electrode, together with a supply of NADH and ADP, what would happen to the oxygen concentration in the electrode?

The mechanism of the ATP synthase

How does the ATP synthase in the mitochondrial membrane convert the energy stored in a proton gradient into chemical energy in an ATP "high energy" bond?

The Chemiosmotic Theory

In the Chemiosmotic Theory, what provides the link between energy released by the electron transport chain and energy storage in the form of "high energy" bonds in ATP?