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Electron acceptor

 

 
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Electron acceptor
 
 
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An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
s transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent
Oxidizing agent

An oxidizing agent can be defined as either:#a chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms, or#a substance that gains electrons in a redox chemical reaction...
 that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process.

>terminal electron acceptor is a compound that receives or accepts an electron during cellular respiration
Cellular respiration

Cellular respiration is the set of the metabolism reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cell s to convert Energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products....
 or photosynthesis
Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
. All organisms obtain energy by transferring electrons from an electron donor
Electron donor

An electron donor is a chemical entity that donates electrons to another compound. It is a reducing agent that, by virtue of its donating electrons, is itself oxidized in the process....
 to an electron acceptor.






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Encyclopedia


An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
s transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent
Oxidizing agent

An oxidizing agent can be defined as either:#a chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms, or#a substance that gains electrons in a redox chemical reaction...
 that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process.

Terminal electron acceptor

A terminal electron acceptor is a compound that receives or accepts an electron during cellular respiration
Cellular respiration

Cellular respiration is the set of the metabolism reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cell s to convert Energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products....
 or photosynthesis
Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
. All organisms obtain energy by transferring electrons from an electron donor
Electron donor

An electron donor is a chemical entity that donates electrons to another compound. It is a reducing agent that, by virtue of its donating electrons, is itself oxidized in the process....
 to an electron acceptor. The process starts with the transfer of an electron from an electron donor. During this process (electron transport chain
Electron transport chain

An electron transport chain couples a chemical reaction between an electron donor and an electron acceptor to the transfer of proton across a Cell membrane, through a set of mediating biochemical reactions....
) the electron acceptor is reduced and the electron donor is oxidized.

Examples

Examples of acceptors include oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
, nitrate
Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
, iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
 (III), manganese
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
 (IV), sulfate
Sulfate

In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid....
, carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
, or in some microorganisms the chlorinated solvents such as tetrachloroethylene
Tetrachloroethylene

Tetrachloroethylene, also known under its systematic name tetrachloroethene and as perchloroethylene, perchloroethene, perc, and PCE, is a chlorocarbon with the formula Cl2C=CCl2....
 (PCE), trichloroethylene
Trichloroethylene

The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorine hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell....
 (TCE), dichloroethene
Dichloroethene

Dichloroethene or Dichloroethylene, often abbreviated as DCE, can refer to any one of several isomeric forms of the organochloride with the molecular formula C2H2Cl2:...
 (DCE), and vinyl chloride
Vinyl chloride

Vinyl chloride is the organic compound with the formula CH2:CHCl. This colourless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride ....
 (VC). These reactions are of interest not only because they allow organisms to obtain energy, but also because they are involved in the natural biodegradation
Biodegradation

Biodegradation is the process by which organic compound substances are decomposition by the enzymes produced by living organisms. The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management and natural environmental environmental remediation ....
 of organic contaminants. When clean-up professionals use monitored natural attenuation to clean up contaminated sites, biodegradation is one of the major contributing processes.

See also

  • Reduction oxidation (redox) reactions
    Redox

    Redox describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number changed.This can be either a simple redox process such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide or the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to yield methane , or it can be a complex process such as the oxidation of sugar in the human body through a ser...
  • Semiconductor
    Semiconductor

    A semiconductor is a material that has electrical conductivity between those of a Electrical conductor and an electrical insulation; it can vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically....


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