Reference no: EM13176680

Suppose life has been discovered on another planet in a distant solar system. Organelles corresponding to our mitochondria transform energy by a Mitchell-like chemiosmotic mechanism. The flow of electrons drives the production of a pH gradient in the same direction. The only difference is the H+-ATP stoichiometry. Given that the pH on the outside of the xeno-mitochondrial membrane is 6.014, the pH on the inside is 7.568, ?G for ATP synthesis is 12.85 kcal/mol, and the alien body temperature is 27.3oC, calculate how many protons are required to pass through the xeno-FoF1-ATP synthase complex to synthesize one ATP. Round off your answer to the nearest integral value. (Assume, as we have done in class, that sufficient "power" to synthesize ATP exists when ?G for transporting protons across the membrane equals ?G for ATP synthesis.)