Biology / Unit 3 Bio 0496 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Chemical Equilibrium in an Open System
Captions available
The idea
A sealed flask's reactions drift toward chemical equilibrium, its lowest free-energy state; a living cell, constantly trading matter with its surroundings, never reaches it.
In practice
A cell constantly imports nutrients and exports wastes, keeping its reactions short of the equilibrium a sealed flask would reach.
Where people slip
Reaching equilibrium would leave a cell with no free energy for life's work.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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