The Chemical Decline in Energy

It is the destiny of wine to be drunk, and it is the destiny of glucose to be oxidized. But it was not oxidized immediately: its drinker kept it in his liver for more than a week, well curled up and tranquil, as a reserve aliment for a sudden effort; an effort that he was forced to make the following Sunday, pursuing a bolting horse. Farewell to the hexagonal structure: in the space of a few instants the skein was unwound and became glucose again, and this was dragged by the bloodstream all the way to a minute muscle fiber in the thigh, and here brutally split into two molecules of lactic acid, the grim harbinger of fatigue: only later, some minutes after, the panting of the lungs was able to supply the oxygen necessary to quietly oxidize the latter. So a new molecule of carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere, and a parcel of the energy that the sun had handed to the vine-shoot passed from the state of chemical energy to that of mechanical energy, and thereafter settled down in the slothful condition of heat, warming up imperceptibly the air moved by the running and the blood of the runner. 'Such is life,' although rarely is it described in this manner: an inserting itself, a drawing off to its advantage, a parasitizing of the downward course of energy, from its noble solar form to the degraded one of low-temperature heat. In this downward course, which leads to equilibrium and thus death, life draws a bend and nests in it.

Notes:

Levi describes with wonder the chain of events leading to an increase in entropy as energy is used up in the body.

Folksonomies: wonder chemistry energy

Taxonomies:
/food and drink/beverages/alcoholic beverages/wine (0.574647)
/business and industrial/energy/renewable energy/solar energy (0.359825)
/business and industrial/energy/electricity (0.173434)

Keywords:
downward course (0.964147 (negative:-0.400601)), noble solar form (0.912623 (negative:-0.332580)), Energy Levi (0.766207 (neutral:0.000000)), reserve aliment (0.762085 (negative:-0.408719)), Chemical Decline (0.748719 (neutral:0.000000)), grim harbinger (0.745174 (negative:-0.697182)), sudden effort (0.736575 (negative:-0.408719)), bolting horse (0.734339 (neutral:0.000000)), lactic acid (0.732087 (negative:-0.580473)), hexagonal structure (0.725411 (neutral:0.000000)), new molecule (0.708125 (positive:0.328633)), muscle fiber (0.707262 (negative:-0.514172)), carbon dioxide (0.703851 (positive:0.328633)), low-temperature heat (0.693350 (negative:-0.332580)), mechanical energy (0.689131 (negative:-0.288996)), slothful condition (0.687885 (negative:-0.547196)), chemical energy (0.680570 (negative:-0.288996)), glucose (0.574412 (positive:0.001914)), destiny (0.528234 (positive:0.329619)), thigh (0.487896 (negative:-0.514172)), life (0.487283 (negative:-0.268047)), bloodstream (0.486590 (negative:-0.514172)), drinker (0.481171 (negative:-0.241717)), skein (0.481159 (negative:-0.268160)), entropy (0.476786 (neutral:0.000000)), tranquil (0.476169 (positive:0.266174)), lungs (0.470942 (negative:-0.507218)), nests (0.470429 (negative:-0.268047)), Farewell (0.469814 (neutral:0.000000)), parcel (0.466431 (negative:-0.288996))

Entities:
chemical energy:FieldTerminology (0.795688 (negative:-0.288996)), carbon dioxide:FieldTerminology (0.297617 (positive:0.328633))

Concepts:
Energy (0.959713): dbpedia | freebase
Muscle (0.886949): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Entropy (0.809913): dbpedia | freebase
Oxygen (0.806981): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Carbon dioxide (0.787405): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Adenosine triphosphate (0.711272): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Thermodynamics (0.698888): dbpedia | freebase
Sun (0.695092): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc

 The Periodic Table
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book:  Levi , Primo (2010-06-28), The Periodic Table, Retrieved on 2012-06-11
  • Source Material [books.google.com]
  •  


    Schemas

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     The Scientist's Unique Perspectives on Nature

    Examples of scientists giving us unique explanations of natural phenomena.
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    30 DEC 2013

     Life Fights Entropy

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    Folksonomies: life entropy thermodynamics
    Folksonomies: life entropy thermodynamics
     11