Calculation of the aqueous thermodynamic properties of citric acid cycle intermediates and precursors and the estimation of high temperature and pressure equation of state parameters

Abstract

The citric acid cycle (CAC) is the central pathway of energy transfer for many organisms, and understanding the origin of this pathway may provide insight into the origins of metabolism. In order to assess the thermodynamics of this key pathway for microorganisms that inhabit a wide variety of environments, especially those found in high temperature environments, we have calculated the properties and parameters for the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers equation of state for the major components of the CAC. While a significant amount of data is not available for many of the constituents of this fundamental pathway, methods exist that allow estimation of these missing data. © 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International.