Respiratory uncoupling

Respiratory uncoupling allows proton return to bypass ATP synthase, dissipating the electrochemical gradient. Electron transport and oxygen consumption can continue while less ATP is recovered.^[ref]

In the thermodynamic example under chemiosmosis, reducing both the activity ratio to one and the electric potential difference to zero removes the driving contribution. The hypothetical ATP-forming conversion then costs $+45\mathrm{kJ}\mathrm{mo}{\mathrm{l}}^{-1}$. Continued donor oxidation would not restore coupling unless it rebuilt a usable electrochemical gradient. This distinction makes respiratory uncoupling useful conceptually: abundant oxygen consumption can coexist with poor recovery of ATP.