PMID: 696856Sep 1, 1978Paper

Proton semiconductors and energy transduction in biological systems

The American Journal of Physiology
H J Morowitz

Abstract

Energy transduction processes in biology are analyzed in terms of ordered chains of hydrogen bonds. The theory is an extension of studies on proton conductance in ice and is stimulated by current ideas on the role of hydrogen ions in oxidative phosphorylation and photophosphorylation. The possibility of a protochemistry paralleling electrochemistry is presented along with experimental evidence. The theory relating transmembrane electrochemical potential difference of hydrogen ion concentration to the synthesis of ATP is reviewed. The thermodynamics of hydrogen transfer across a membrane is treated including electrochemical and electromechanical factors. As a prelude to considering ATP synthesis, the acid-base dissociation reactions of ATP, ADP, and phosphate are analyzed. The thermodynamics of ATP synthesis is discussed and a detailed model is presented coupling the synthesis to proton transport. The model assumes a gated proton semiconductor that carries protons and allows them to interact specifically with well-defined substrate molecules. The physics of proton transport is outlined and various methods examined in the context of biological membranes. Emphasis is placed on solid-state proton semiconductors and the present theo...Continue Reading

Citations

Feb 16, 2013·Reports on Progress in Physics·P MeredithP E Schwenn
Oct 8, 2016·Nature Communications·Zahra HemmatianMarco Rolandi
May 23, 2021·Biopolymers·Manping JiaMarco Rolandi

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