Dynamic Bioelectrochemistry – Charge Transfer in Biological Systems

Abstract

If electrostatic forces define the chemical shape of our world, to a great degree it is the movement of charge that brings that world to life. The movement of charge is necessary for sensation, mental activity, muscular movement, and energy transduction by photosynthesis and metabolism to name just several examples. When an electric field exists either in free space or in a conducting medium, charges will move under the field’s influence. This movement of charge is the electric current. The principles of conduction and ionic current have been introduced already in Chapter 23 and Appendix P reviews the fundamentals of electrical circuits. Now we will explore the movement of charge in biochemical systems of multiple phases (electrokinetics) and in a matrix of biochemicals (electron transfer).