Metabolism is the totality of an organism’s
chemical processes.
1st Law: Conservation of mass - energy
Energy can neither be created or destroyed
According to all equations of chemical reaction,
both sides are balanced. The amount of energy for the entire universe is
constant.
2nd Law: Law of Entropy
All spontaneous events act to increase
total entropy
The states of all spontaneous reactions
would become more random a.k.a. the increase of entropy. The number of
molecules of the reaction would change from less to more. Free energy would
form during the exergonic reaction (it is a spontaneous reaction)
If a reaction changes to more organized form,
there must be external energy used on the reaction.
3rd Law: Absolute Zero (0 K = -273℃)
All thermal molecular motion, kinetic energy
ceases
When an object reaches the absolute zero in
theory, because it is possible to approach absolute zero but never reach to it.
This moment will be the removal of all thermal molecular motion. No motion
would continue going, everything stops.
Second law of thermodynamic and metabolism
Living organisms seem obey the second law
of thermodynamics, but actually, nothing could obey this law which all spontaneous
events act to increase total entropy. Metabolism for living organism is not
really spontaneous. It still requires external energy to begin the job. Energy receive
from daily diets would transfer enough energy for living organisms to survive. When
living organism absorbs these energy, the entropy for the entire universe is
increased.
The confusion of the second law is always
on “define the spontaneous reaction” and “what is the entire system when
talking about total entropy increase”.
