How many chemical reactions occur in the human body per second?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
It's tough to say exactly how many cells are in the human body, but the most current estimate is 37.2 trillion. This number likely fluctuates over time and varies from person to person, but it should be pretty close, so let's use it!
(1 x 10^9 RXNs per second per cell) x (37x 10^12) = 37 x 10^21, i.e. 37 with 21 zeros after it, or 37 thousand billion billion chemical reactions per second in the human body.
You might be wondering at this point how so many reactions can be taking place every second in our cells. And the answer lies in their size. Whether or not a reaction will take place, and how long it takes to complete are largely determined by two things: a) how frequently atoms and molecules in a given space crash into each other, which is a function of the size of the container relative to the number of atoms and molecules, and b) how fast they're moving when they collide, which is a function of temperature. It just so happens that the average Eukaryotic cell, of which all multicellular organisms are comprised, has a volume of about 1 x 10^-11 liters, which nature selected over time because it is the perfect size for the most efficient biochemistry, i.e. the perfect number of collisions per unit time at body temperature, which is 37 degrees Celsius for humans.
These chemical reactions are the basis of what we would consider to be life. Copying our DNA and manufacturing new organelles and cell walls so the cells can multiply, transcribing DNA into RNA which is then translated into proteins, which are the building blocks of organic life's structures, and also comprise a vast array of enzymes, which help reactions occur under the right set of circumstances, good things like sugar and fat are broken down into usable energy (ATP) and harmful things like bacterial toxins are destroyed and expelled, hormones are synthesized to communicate with other cells, and the list goes on and on. One of my favorite realizations as a freshman biology student was that each new biological process I learned about in class had occurred trillions and trillions of times in the bodies of everyone in the room during the time it took the professor to explain it.
Answer:
(1 x 10^9 RXNs per second per cell) x (37x 10^12) = 37 x 10^21, i.e.37 with 21 zeros after, or 37 billion billion chemical reactions per_second in the_human body.
Explanation:
Let's start with the number of human eukaryotic cell reactions per second. I've heard hundreds of millions to billions of quotes. Let's take a rough average and make it 1 billion.
The number of cells that make up the human body is unknown, but the latest estimate is 37.2 trillion. This number will fluctuate over time and may vary from person to person, but it should be fairly close, so let's use it.
(1 x 10 ^ 9 RXN per cell per second) x (37 x 10 ^ 12) = 37 x 10 ^ 21, which is 37 followed by 21 zeros, or 37 billion chemistry per second_in the human body. The reaction continues.
You may be wondering how many reactions occur every second in our cells. And the answer lies in their size. There are two main factors that determine whether a reaction occurs and how long it lasts. a) The frequency with which atoms and molecules collide in a particular space. This is a function of the relative size of the container to the number of atoms and molecules. b) Movement speed at the time of collision. This is a function of temperature. It happens that the average eukaryotic cell volume that makes up all multicellular organisms is about 1 x 10 ^ -11 liters. This is the optimal size for the most efficient biochemistry, the perfect number of collisions, so it was chosen by nature over time. Per unit time at body temperature of 37 ° C for humans.
These chemical reactions are the basis of what we call life.
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