Proton semiconductors and energy transduction in biological systems

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 theory of such structures is given. A section is included on possible biological applications of these semiconductors.