Does the electron transport chain part of cellular respiration involve carbon or carbon dioxide?
no
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Mitochondrial_electron_transport_chain%E2%80%94Etc4.svg/2000px-Mitochondrial_electron_transport_chain%E2%80%94Etc4.svg.png
The electron transport chain (ETC) is an essential part of cellular respiration, specifically in the process of aerobic respiration that takes place in the mitochondria of cells. It is responsible for generating a majority of the energy currency of the cell, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Now, to answer your question, the ETC itself does not directly involve carbon or carbon dioxide. Instead, it is primarily concerned with the transfer of electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors. The chain consists of a series of protein complexes and coenzymes, located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, that aid in the sequential transfer of electrons.
However, it is important to note that the electron carriers involved in the ETC, such as NADH and FADH2, are generated during earlier steps of cellular respiration that do involve carbon molecules. In the preceding phases of cellular respiration, such as glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, glucose is broken down and oxidized to produce these electron carriers, along with carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
So, while the ETC itself does not directly involve carbon or carbon dioxide, the process of generating the electron carriers needed for the ETC does require the involvement of carbon-containing molecules.