Dr. Christian

From a semantic point of view, you are right. Mitochondria process chemicals, transfering energy from one process to another or from one chemical to another. Actually it does not produce energy as you say. In this sense, the sun does not produce energy either. It transforms the energy already existing in its mass. So if we apply Lavoissiers principals and Einstein formula to all the process in the physical world, you shall find out that nothing produces energy, but transforms potential energy contained in a mass. In this sense I agree with you: mitochondria does not produce energy, it transforms energy. An electric plant does not produce energy; it transforms energy contained in petrol or coal in electricity which is other form of energy. That is all. Nothing really creates energy unless energy is already there.

Dr. Christian

From a semantic point of view, you are right. Mitochondria process chemicals, transfering energy from one process to another or from one chemical to another. Actually it does not produce energy as you say. In this sense, the sun does not produce energy either. It transforms the energy already existing in its mass. So if we apply Lavoissiers principals and Einstein formula to all the process in the physical world, you shall find out that nothing produces energy, but transforms potential energy contained in a mass. In this sense I agree with you: mitochondria does not produce energy, it transforms energy. An electric plant does not produce energy; it transforms energy contained in petrol or coal in electricity which is other form of energy. That is all. Nothing really creates energy unless energy is already there.

Many thanks for your contribution, Tomas.

English language again! 'Generate' and 'Produce' are often used when it is far more precise to say 'convert'. As Tomas so rightly points out. You get the same ambiguity when coal mines claim to 'produce' coal and oil wells to 'produce' oil. They do no such thing. Nature did that over the last few hundred million years - the mines just move it from one place to another.

Although it is a matter of perspective, the mitochondrion does not only serve the cell by energy (transform energy).

In reality Mitochondria is the cell powerhouse that convert the potential energy to a more usable energy or currency in the form of ATP that form of energy is produce or generated by mitochondria so why not using ATP production or generation in stead of energy production or generation 

how you define energy is related to a context, please define the type of energy, chemical energy is transformed into another using electrons...by using chemicals of the body intake etc...it is quite semantic and based on what you see as energy definition.

@Jacques: I mean the conversion of potential energy (i. e., the proton motive force generated by the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane) to chemical energy (i. e., oxidative phosphorylation of ADP so that an anhydrid bond is formed).

What do you want me to say more? If you wish to publish then send something and defend your statement. I do not see what else you want...I am sorry

Dear Dr. Christian Q. Scheckhuber:

You have raised an interesting discussion. As is in the Universe, you are right and not right at the same time. All depends on the context. You have raised a question about mitochondria - whether it produces energy, or not. However, when discussing energy conversions in the Living organisms, we have to remember that according to Irreversible Thermodynamics, living organisms are open systems. They exchange Energy and Matter with the Universe. Locally, energy is heat and produced chemical energy as ATP and various gradients within cells and bodies. Matter comes in terms of various kind of food and water. But in Global terms, all organisms utilize the energy of our Sun and utilize chemical components (metals, water, cation, anions), which were formed in the Universe during explosion of Nova. Thus, the energy of the Sun is utilized by bacteria, small cells (algae) and plants. They use Sun’s energy to split H2O into O and 2H, by adding CO2 these organisms produce carbohydrates. Higher plants have mitochondria, and by consumption of some O2 pants produce huge amount of organic material, which serves as food for herbivorous animals, the carnivorous and then pigs and humans, who eat everything. Thus plants use light to split H-O-H à 2H + O. In animals, mitochondria utilize H (formed via digestion of food) and by adding atmospheric oxygen they produce water: O2 + 4H à 2H2O + heat + ATP + gradients. The production of water from the food’s hydrogen and atmospheric O2 is irreversible reaction. Thus finally, the Suns energy is dissipated as heat.

Thus mitochondria do not generate energy, they convert the modified by plants the energy of the Sun back to heat and utilize part of the energy for they own living.  In the end, we all die and the Universe increases its Entropy a little more. However, if you look locally, inside the cell, mitochondria do produce useful energy to run our businesses and warm us in the cold.

Thanks for your insightful contribution to the discussion, Alexander. So we could say that mitochondria produce energy equivalents in the form of ATP. Is that right?

I wonder what is the source of energy. (In scientific terms). if energy was not created then how we got it into system? Its just eating my brain. 

Mitochondria are like factories transforming a sort of energy into another....as it is said in lectures in biology basics at the secondary schools. It is like in Physics as said by Dr Kotai....I am not sure where this exchange of ideas is going...

Ш рфму зщыеув ьг сщььуте нуыеуквфнб иге цфы ыщьу куфыщт ше цфы куьщмув щк вшв тще сщьу еркщгпрю Ыщб фь ьфлштп ф туц фееуьзею

Dear Dr. Christian Q. Scheckhuber:

You have raised an interesting discussion. As is in the Universe, you are right and not right at the same time. All depends on the context. You have raised a question about mitochondria - whether it produces energy, or not. However, when discussing energy conversions in the Living organisms, we have to remember that according to Irreversible Thermodynamics, living organisms are open systems. They exchange Energy and Matter with the Universe. Locally, energy is heat and produced chemical energy as ATP and various gradients within cells and bodies. Matter comes in terms of various kind of food and water. But in Global terms, all organisms utilize the energy of our Sun and utilize chemical components (metals, water, cation, anions), which were formed in the Universe during explosion of Nova. Thus, the energy of the Sun is utilized by bacteria, small cells (algae) and plants. They use Sun’s energy to split H2O into O and 2H, by adding CO2 these organisms produce carbohydrates. Higher plants have mitochondria, and by consumption of some O2 pants produce huge amount of organic material, which serves as food for herbivorous animals, the carnivorous and then pigs and humans, who eat everything. Thus plants use light to split H-O-H à 2H + O. In animals, mitochondria utilize H (formed via digestion of food) and by adding atmospheric oxygen they produce water: O2 + 4H à 2H2O + heat + ATP + gradients. The production of water from the food’s hydrogen and atmospheric O2 is irreversible reaction. Thus finally, the Suns energy is dissipated as heat.

Thus mitochondria do not generate energy, they convert the modified by plants the energy of the Sun back to heat and utilize part of the energy for they own living.  In the end, we all die and the Universe increases its Entropy a little more. However, if you look locally, inside the cell, mitochondria do produce useful energy to run our businesses and warm us in the cold.

The discussion became so wide that I wa s confused.

Dear Dr. Christian Q. Scheckhuber::

The energy, which produces mitochondria, is not restricted to ATP only. In some organs, like the liver, ATP is much less important as such, than, say for the heart.  ATP is not the only form of energy produced by mitochondria. The other forms are: gradients of metabolites (these facilitate the related enzymatic reactions), NADPH (this facilitates anabolic reactions), gradients of pH and electrical charges across the membrane. Also, mitochondria are the center of metabolic processes and make possible inter-conversions of metabolites. Finally, the most important role of mitochondria is that their provide irreversibility for all metabolic processes, which occur simultaneously, often in opposite directions regarding some metabolites, but in different compartments. This makes a living organism much more resilient to the harsh external conditions.  Because mitochondria, and through them the whole organism, are open systems exchanging  energy and matter, the classical thermodynamics and based o  it enzyme kinetics are mostly inapplicable to mitochondria.

As regards the energy source, mitochondria derive energy from burning hydrogen and turning O2 and 4h into 2 H2O. The hydrogen on Earth was produced by bacteria and plants, which utilize energy of the sun to split water. The difference between Sun and mitochondria is: the Sun uses the nuclear reactions, while mitochondrial reactions between the atoms occur at the electron level. Thus all energy is produced from the potential energy of hydrogen in the universe plus gravitational energy, which pulls together hydrogen and ignites the nuclear reaction.