Biophysical Thermodynamics of Intracellular Processes: Molecular Machines of the Living Cell

The main goal of this book is to describe in physical terms the peculiar features of "machines" having molecular dimensions that play the principal role in the most important biological processes, viz., energy transduction and enzyme catalysis. Since these molecular engines work with thermal, chemical, and mechanical energy, the appropriate framework to discuss them comes from thermodynamics and chemical kinetics. The book thus begins with a review of the thermodynamics and chemical kinetics.…