Tuesday, 27 December 2016

biochemistry - Where is the H+ ion in this step of glycolysis coming from?


conversion of G3P to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (from Fundamentals of Biochemistry by Voet, 5th ed.)


In this step of glycolysis, I'm not seeing where the $\ce{H+}$ ion on the product side is coming from. It seems to me that the G3P's aldehydic H is replaced by phosphate, and that H is given to $\ce{NAD+}$ to make NADH. So where is the extra $\ce{H+}$ coming from?



Answer



Although texts such as Berg et al. tend to refer to inorganic phosphate, $\ce{P_i}$, as orthophosphate ($\ce{PO4^{3-}}$), the term inorganic phosphate is used because in aqueous solution at pH 7.6 several phosphate species exist, the predominant one being $\ce{HPO4^{2-}}$. If this is regarded as $\ce{P_i}$, then it is the source of the $\ce{H^{+}}$, and the equation balances.



Note added by David:


On checking I find, in contrast to Berg, Lehninger’s book defines $\ce{P_i}$ as monohydrogen phosphate ($\ce{HPO4^{2-}}$), and Fersht actually writes the equation of the reaction (16-1) with $\ce{HPO4^{2-}}$ rather than $\ce{P_i}$.


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