Why does a living cell never reach chemical equilibrium?

1. If a cell were a closed system its reactions would reach equilibrium and it would die, because too little free energy would remain to do the work of staying alive. 2. In a living cell, chemical reactions are constantly moving towards equilibrium but never reach it. 3. This is because a living cell is an open system, with materials passing in and out. 4. The cell also recycles the products of certain reactions into other reactions, so equilibrium is never reached. 5. Cells run both endergonic and exergonic reactions, so the first option misdescribes their chemistry. 6. Enzymes speed the formation of products rather than preventing it. _Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Metabolism", section 6.2 Potential, Kinetic, Free, and Activation Energy_