A Recently Discovered Bacterium Carries Out ATP Synthesis Coupled to the Flow

A recently discovered bacterium carries out ATP synthesis coupled to the flow of electrons through a chain of carriers to some electron acceptor. The components of its electron transfer chain differ from those found in mitochondria; they are listed below with their standard reduction potentials. (a) Place the electron carriers in the order in which they are most likely to act in carrying electrons. (b) Is it likely that O₂ (for which E'° = 0.82 V) is the final electron acceptor in this organism? Why or why not? (c) How would you calculate the maximum number of ATP molecules that could theoretically be synthesized, under standard conditions, per pair of electrons transfered through this chain of carriers? (The Faraday constant, , is 96.48 kJ/V · mol.) $\Delta$ G'° for ATP synthesis is +30.5 kJ/mol.