Peter D. Mitchell proposed the Chemiosmotic Hypothesis in 1961. The theory suggests essentially that ATP synthesis comes from the electrochemical gradient across the membrane of a mitochondrion by using the energy of NADH and FADH2 formed from the breaking down of glucose (respiration). The process occurs as follows: The oxidation of glucose in the matrix is coupled to the reduction of a carrier molecule such as NAD and FAD. The carriers then pass an electron to an associated pump (a large enzyme) in the membrane. The carrier therefore becomes reoxidised and releases protons to the matrix. The charged pump then pumps protons into the inter-membrane space. The electrons are then passed to another carrier to the next pump (this is the electron transport chain). A high concentration of protons builds up in the inter-membrane space because the inner membrane is impermeable to protons except at sites where the enzyme ATP synthase is present. The protons flow back into the matrix of the mitochondrion via ATP synthase this flow provides enough energy for ADP to combine with inorganic phosphate to form ATP. The electrons and protons at the last pump are taken up by oxygen to form water. Peter D. Mitchell was an English biochemist. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the nucleotide known in biochemistry as the molecular currency of intracellular energy transfer; that is, ATP is able to store and transport chemical energy within cells. ... Electrochemistry is the study of the electronic and electrical aspects of chemical reactions. ... Mitochondria are visible as thread-like structures in the light microscope. ... Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) are two important coenzymes found in cells. ... Flavin is also the name of a commune in the Aveyron département, in France Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), upper, reduced FAD (FADH2), lower Flavin is a tricyclic heteronuclear organic ring whose biochemical source is the vitamin riboflavin. ... Glucose (Glc), a simple monosaccharide sugar, is one of the most important carbohydrates and is used as a source of energy in animals. ... Respiration can refer to: Cellular respiration, which is the use of oxygen in the metabolism of organic molecules. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ... NADH nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NADH, is a coenzyme made from vitamin B2, or niacin. ... In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is the precursor molecule to FADH2. ... Properties The electron is a fundamental subatomic particle which carries a negative electric charge. ... The electron transfer chain (also called the electron transport chain, or simply electron transport), is a series of protein complexers and lipid messengers spanning the inner mitochondrial membrane that accepts electrons from electron donors such as NADH or succinate, shuttles these electrons from within the mitochondrial matrix across the inner... ADP may stand for: adenosine diphosphate Aeroports de Paris [1] AOLserver Dynamic Pages, web server extensions designed to return dynamically created documents based on the TCL computer programming language using AOLserver. ... In chemistry, a phosphate is a polyatomic ion or radical consisting of one phosphorus atom and four oxygen. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter; c. ...

This was a radical proposal at the time, and not well accepted. The prevailing view was that the energy of electron transfer was stored as a stable high potential intermediate, a chemically more conservative concept.

The problem with the older paradigm is that no high energy intermediate was ever found, and the evidence for proton pumping by the complexes of the electron transfer chain grew too great to be ignored. Eventually the weight of evidence began to favor the chemiosmotic hypothesis, and in 1978, Peter Mitchell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The electron transfer chain (also called the electron transport chain, ETC, e-train, or simply electron transport), is any series of protein complexes and lipid-soluble messengers that convert the reductive potential of energized electrons into a cross-membrane proton gradient. ... Events Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry from 1901 to the present day. ...

see also: mitochondrion, chloroplasts, chemiosmotic potential, electron transfer chain, cytochrome, ATP, Respiration, citric acid cycle, glycolysis Mitochondria are visible as thread-like structures in the light microscope. ... The inside of a chloroplast The inside of a chloroplast Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and eukaryotic algae which conduct photosynthesis. ... Electrochemical potential is a thermodynamic measure that reflects energy from entropy and electrostatics and is typically invoked in molecular processes that involve diffusion. ... The electron transfer chain (also called the electron transport chain, ETC, e-train, or simply electron transport), is any series of protein complexes and lipid-soluble messengers that convert the reductive potential of energized electrons into a cross-membrane proton gradient. ... Cytochromes are generally membrane-bound proteins that contain heme groups and carry out electron transport or catalyse reductive/oxidative reactions. ... Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the nucleotide known in biochemistry as the molecular currency of intracellular energy transfer; that is, ATP is able to store and transport chemical energy within cells. ... Respiration can refer to: Cellular respiration, which is the use of oxygen in the metabolism of organic molecules. ... The citric acid cycle (also known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the TCA cycle, or the Krebs cycle) is a series of chemical reactions of central importance in all living cells that utilize oxygen as part of cellular respiration. ... Glycolysis is a term referring to a series of biochemical reactions by which a molecule of glucose is oxidized to two molecules of pyruvic acid. ...

References:

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/crofts/bioph354/mitchell.html

http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~bios301/Bios301/lecture/Lec11-Chemios-photo.pdf