Aerobic respiration has three stages--glycolysis, citric acid cycle (Krebs Cycle) and oxidative phosphorylation.
This process requires an organic molecule like glucose to be used as a fuel or energy reserve to produce ATP, which can be used for cellular work.
In aerobic respiration, oxygen is a reactant which combines with glucose in a catabolic or energy releasing process. The wastes generated at the end of this process are carbon dioxide and water which can be released by exhaling.
Glucose and oxygen form carbon dioxide, water, and ATP --usually 32 or 34 molecules.
Glucose is oxidized in a series of steps using different enzymes. As electrons are stripped from the glucose, they are transferred to a coenzyme called NAD+. This is an oxidizing agent. When NAD+ accepts two electrons and a proton, it becomes NADH. NADH has stored energy and it is used to make ATP as these electrons fall down their energy gradient to oxygen, the final electron acceptor.
NADH brings the electrons that came from glucose to the top of the electron transport chain which is high energy and they "fall" to the lower energy end where oxygen captures electrons and H+ to form water (H2O). This is an exergonic reaction.
The path that electrons travel is therefore from glucose to NADH to the electron transport chain to oxygen.
Glycolysis breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate which occurs in the cytosol.
Pyruvate enters the mitochondrion and is oxidized to acetyl CoA which enters the citric acid or Krebs Cycle. During the citric acid cycle, NAD+ is reduced to NADH when it accepts two electrons and a H+ ion. This substance transports the electrons originally from the glucose to the third stage of respiration. Also, some ATP is generated during the Krebs cycle which can be used for cellular work. Yet other energy can be captured as FADH2.
In the electron transport chain, the electrons move from molecule to molecule until they reach the final electron acceptor which is oxygen to form water. Also, ATP is generated by oxidative phosphorylation. The inner membrane of the mitochondria is the site for electron transport and the production of ATP.
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