55. Making ATP-The Chemiosmotic Theory

This lecture begins by reviewing the puzzle concerning how the electron transport chain is involved in ATP production, and then outlines a radical theory—chemiosmosis —that was proposed to explain it, a theory which was eventually shown to be true. The lecture explores the nature and function of mitochondria and cell membranes, both of which are essential to the production of ATP through chemiosmosis, before discussing the mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation in detail. In conclusion, the lecture notes that metabolic pathways can “burn” a much wider range of fuels than simply glucose and that, though it is relatively inefficient, glycolysis has historically and does currently power much of life on Earth.