What is the proton-motive force?
A)the energy required to remove an electron from a hydrogen atom
B)the energy provided by a transmembrane hydrogen ion gradient
C)the energy that moves hydrogen into the intermembrane space
D)the energy that moves hydrogen atoms into the mitochondrion

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The proton-motive force is the energy stored in the form of a transmembrane proton gradient, which is created by the electrochemical difference between protons (H+) inside and outside the mitochondria. This energy is used to drive ATP synthesis and other energetic processes. Option A is the ionization energy of hydrogen, which is not related to the proton-motive force. Option C and D describe the movement of hydrogen ions, but they do not fully define the proton-motive force.

What Is the Proton-Motive Force