ABSTRACT
Many of the chemical reactions carried out in living cells involve oxidation and reduction. Oxidation reactions are often involved with the release of energy from energy storage compounds such as carbohydrates. It is important for us to be able to calculate how much energy oxidation reactions can yield. In a similar way, some reduction reactions in biology, such as the dark reactions of photosynthesis, need energy to drive them. The oxidation and reduction processes in biology are largely reversible reactions. As scientists, we need to be able to predict in which direction such reversible reactions are going to proceed and what effect changes in concentration have upon the direction of these reactions.
