In living cells, small molecules react together to make larger ones. Are these p

Question

In living cells, small molecules react together to make larger ones. Are these processes accompanied by increases or decreases or no change in the entropy of the molecules? In the lungs, oxygen is taken from the inhaled air and dissolved in blood for distribution to the cells. Does this result in an increase or decrease in the entropy or no change for the oxygen? Also in the lungs, the carbon dioxide waste product from the cells is released from blood and exhaled into the surroundings. What happens to the entropy of carbon dioxide in this process?

Explanation / Answer

1. Decrease. The process of formation of larger macromolecules from the smaller building blocks require input of energy. Thus, the molecules increase in order and decrease in entropy, since delts S < 0.

2. The concentration of oxygen in the gas phase decreases and the conc. in liquid phase increases. Entropy is decreased in the process.

3. The concentraion of carbon dioxide in the gas phase increases and its conc. in liquid phase decreases. There is an increase in the randomness, and hence, entropy increases.

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