Question

How is the chemical energy in glucose similar to money in a savings account?

Answer 1

Hint: You should know the concept of photosynthesis and glucose metabolism to determine the answer. When the small molecules or atoms come together and form a larger molecule than some energy is trapped during the formation.

Complete answer:
In chemical terms the light energized process known as photosynthesis is the oxidation reduction process. During the photosynthesis process, the energy in the form of light is used to carry out the oxidation of water which produces oxygen gas, hydrogen ion and electrons (As oxidation is the loss of electrons). The removed electrons and hydrogen ions are transferred to the carbon dioxide which is then reduced to give organic product. The other electrons and hydrogen ions help to reduce the nitrate and sulfate into amino and sulfhydryl groups of amino acids which are the primary unit of protein. In the green cell, the major organic product is glucose.
During the formation of glucose in photosynthesis, energy is also trapped.
The reaction for the formation of glucose is shown below.
$6C{O_2} + 6{H_2}O \to {C_6}{H_{12}}{O_6} + 6{O_2}$
6 mole of carbon dioxide reacts with 6 mole of water to form one mole of glucose and 6 mole of oxygen.
During glucose metabolism, the glucose degrades to give carbon dioxide and water along with that energy which is saved during the photosynthesis is released.
The reaction for the degradation of glucose is shown below.
${C_6}{H_{12}}{O_6} + 6{O_2} \to 6C{O_2} + 6{H_2}O + Energy$
1 mole of glucose reacts with 6 mole of oxygen to form 6 mole of carbon dioxide, 6 mole of water and energy.
This is how the chemical energy in glucose is similar to money in a savings account.

Note: You must know that around 2870 kilojoules of energy is released for each mole of glucose which is metabolized. The energy which is released is the form of ATP.