OXIDATION-REDUCTION YIELD IN BIOLOGICAL OBJECTS AS A RESULT OF CONTROLLED IRREVERSIBLE PROCESSES IN OPEN SYSTEMS,

Abstract : The concepts that have developed concerning an oxidation-reduction potential on the basis of the theory of open systems in which self-adjusting irreversible processes take place, completely explain the experimentally obtained relationships. The potential is a result of two flows--the inflow of hydrogen and electrons from energy-rich substances and their annexation to oxygen. Steady states are the result of a balance of these two flows. The rapid drift of potential with the infraction of one of them is a consequence of the requirement for a definite arrival of free energy for the support of unbalanced structures, this being provided for by the regulatory mechanisms of the object. In the present work, an attempt has been made to consider the potential from the point of view of concepts developed in reference, i.e., with account taken of optimum self-regulation of the integral processes of metabolism. (Author)