Active transport in the light of thermodynamics of open systems

✍ Scribed by B. C. Panda

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 284 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7608
• DOI: 10.1002/qua.560200228

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A brief thermodynamic analysis of transport processes in open systems is presented. It is shown that the concept of an active transport in the usual sense of the existence of a flow against the direction of its conjugate force is operationally unrealistic. The so‐called metabolically coupled active transport has been shown to be mathematically falacious. The experimental establishment in favor of the active transport process by the use of metabolic inhibitors has been logically disproven. From this analysis it is naturally concluded that all transport processes in the living organisms can be reduced to passive ones if one recognizes all the possible potential gradients existing in the system. Assuming the existence of active transport process is as erroneous as taking for granted a vital force explaining the life phenomena. It simply indicates our lack of knowledge about the pattern of superposition of a complete set of driving forces or about the nature of a yet unknown physical driving force and the generating mechanism of such a force.