Final answer:
Metabolism is the term that describes the building and breaking down of chemicals within cells, involving two processes: anabolism (building up) and catabolism (breaking down).
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that most precisely describes the general process of building up and breaking down chemicals within cells is metabolism. Metabolism encompasses all cellular chemical reactions and is divided into two categories: anabolism and catabolism.
Anabolism refers to the synthesis of complex molecules from simpler ones, requiring energy, while catabolism encompasses the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones, releasing energy.
These processes are crucial for cellular function and form the basis of cellular bioenergetics, balancing the energy required for, and generated by, these biochemical pathways.