a. Many biochemical reactions that occur in cells re-quire relatively high concentrations of potassium ion (K+). The concentration of K+ in muscle cells is about 0.15 M. The concentration of K+ in blood plasma is about 0.0050 M. The high internal concentration in cells is maintained by pumping K+ from the plasma. How much work must be done to transport 1.0 mole of K+ from the blood to the inside of a muscle cell at 37oC (normal body temperature)?
b. When 1.0 mole of K+ is transferred from blood to the cells, do any other ions have to be transported? Why or why not?
c. Cells use the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate, abbreviated ATP, as a source of energy. Symbolically, this reaction can be represented as
ATP(aq) + H2O(l) → ADP(aq) + H2PO4-(aq)
where ADP represents adenosine diphosphate. For this reaction at 37oC, K = 1.7 × 105 How many moles of ATP must be hydrolyzed to provide the energy for the transport of 1.0 mole of K+? Assume standard conditions for the ATP hydrolysis reaction.