Cell Processes and Energy

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Organelles Noun

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[or-guh-nelz]

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Organelles

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Specialized structures found within a living cell that perform specific functions to maintain the cell's life processes.

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Example: This diagram shows a cross-section of an animal cell, revealing the different organelles, which are the specialized 'organs' of the cell.

Front

Glucose Noun

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[gloo-kohs]

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Glucose

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A simple sugar molecule that serves as the primary source of metabolic energy for cells in living organisms.

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Example: This image shows the ball-and-stick model of a glucose molecule (C₆H₁₂O₆), a simple sugar that is the main source of energy for cells.

Front

Carbon Dioxide Noun

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[kar-buhn dai-ok-said]

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Carbon Dioxide

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A gas molecule used in photosynthesis and produced during cellular respiration, composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms.

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Example: This diagram shows that plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which is a necessary ingredient, along with water and sunlight, for photosynthesis.

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Photosynthesis Noun

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[foh-toh-sin-thuh-sis]

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Photosynthesis

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The process where chloroplasts use light energy, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen for the cell.

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Example: A plant leaf uses sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2), and water as inputs to produce glucose (food) and oxygen (O2) as outputs.

Front

Chloroplasts Noun

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[klor-uh-plasts]

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Chloroplasts

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Organelles within plant and algal cells that are the site of photosynthesis, capturing energy from sunlight to make food.

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Example: This diagram shows a chloroplast, the part of a plant cell found in leaves that performs photosynthesis, with its key internal structures labeled.

Front

Cellular Respiration Noun

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[sel-yuh-ler res-puh-rey-shuhn]

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Cellular Respiration

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A set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in cells to convert chemical energy into usable ATP.

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Example: This diagram shows the inputs (glucose and oxygen) and outputs (carbon dioxide, water, and energy as ATP) of the cellular respiration chemical reaction.

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Mitochondria Noun

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[mai-toh-kon-dree-uh]

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Mitochondria

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An organelle in eukaryotic cells that generates most of the cell's supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through respiration.

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Example: This diagram shows a mitochondrion taking in nutrients from food (rice) and converting them into usable energy for the cell, represented as ATP.

Front

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) Noun

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[uh-den-uh-seen trahy-fos-feyt]

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ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

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A complex organic chemical that provides energy to drive many processes in living cells, such as muscle contraction.

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Example: This diagram shows the ATP-ADP cycle, comparing ATP to a charged battery and ADP to a dead battery, illustrating how energy is stored and released.

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Eukaryotes Noun

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[yoo-kar-ee-ohts]

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Eukaryotes

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Organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within membranes, unlike prokaryotes which have no membrane-bound organelles.

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Example: This diagram shows an animal cell, a type of eukaryotic cell, which has a true nucleus containing its DNA and other specialized, membrane-bound organelles.

Front

Reactants Noun

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[ree-ak-tuhnts]

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Reactants

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The starting substances that are consumed during a chemical reaction to be converted into new substances called products.

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Example: This diagram shows that reactants (hydrogen and oxygen molecules) are the starting substances on the left side of a chemical reaction that combine to form products.