SearchMap > Cellular Respiration*
* Generated for http://faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu/faculty/Michael.Gregory/files/Bio%20101/Bio%20101%20Lectures/Cellular%20Respiration/cellular.htm
User Comments
In respiration, glucose is oxidized and thus releases energy. Oxygen is reduced to form water. The carbon atoms of the sugar molecule are released as carbon dioxide (CO2). The complete breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide and water requires two major steps: 1) glycolysis and 2) aerobic respiration. Glycolysis produces two ATP. Thirty-four more ATP are produced by aerobic pathways if oxygen is present. During glycolysis, glucose (C6) is broken down to two molecules of pyruvate (C3). (Note that compounds that end in "___ate" can be called "___ic acid". For example, lactate is lactic acid and malate is malic acid.) Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm (cytosol) and does not require oxygen. There are ten steps in glycolysis and each one is catalyzed by a specific enzyme. A brief summary of these reactions is presented here. 2 ATP molecules are used to phosphorylate and activate compounds that will eventually become converted to pyruvate (or pyruvic acid) (see diagram below).
