What are the starting molecules for each step of cellular respiration?
I know the steps are glycolysis, pyruvate processing, citric acid cycle and electron transport/chemiosmosis
Sure! Here are the starting molecules for each step of cellular respiration:
1. Glycolysis:
- Starting Molecule: Glucose (a 6-carbon sugar molecule)
- End Products: Two molecules of Pyruvate (a 3-carbon compound), two molecules of ATP, and two molecules of NADH.
2. Pyruvate Processing (also known as the Transition Reaction):
- Starting Molecule: Pyruvate (produced from glucose during glycolysis)
- End Products: Acetyl-CoA (a 2-carbon compound), one molecule of NADH, and one molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) per pyruvate molecule.
3. Citric Acid Cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle or TCA cycle):
- Starting Molecule: Acetyl-CoA (produced from pyruvate processing)
- End Products: Three molecules of NADH, one molecule of FADH2, one molecule of ATP (or GTP), and two molecules of CO2 per starting Acetyl-CoA molecule.
4. Electron Transport Chain (ETC) and Chemiosmosis:
- Starting Molecule: NADH and FADH2 (produced from previous steps, mainly the citric acid cycle)
- End Products: Water (H2O) and ATP. The energy released from transferring electrons through the ETC is used to drive ATP synthesis through chemiosmosis.
Note: The complete oxidation of one molecule of glucose leads to the formation of a varying number of ATP molecules (around 30-38 molecules) through these steps of cellular respiration.
To determine the starting molecules for each step of cellular respiration, we can break down the process step by step. Here's an explanation for each step along with the starting molecules:
1. Glycolysis:
Glycolysis is the first step of cellular respiration, and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. The starting molecule for this process is glucose, which is a six-carbon sugar.
2. Pyruvate processing:
After glycolysis, the pyruvate molecules formed enter the mitochondrial matrix in eukaryotes, where pyruvate processing occurs. Before entering the next step, each pyruvate molecule is converted into a molecule called acetyl-CoA. Therefore, the starting molecule for pyruvate processing is pyruvate.
3. Citric Acid Cycle (also known as Krebs cycle):
The key molecule that starts the citric acid cycle is acetyl-CoA, which enters the cycle by combining with a four-carbon compound called oxaloacetate. The resulting molecule is citrate (citric acid).
4. Electron Transport/Chemiosmosis:
The electron transport chain (ETC) is located on the inner mitochondrial membrane. It consists of a series of protein complexes through which electrons transfer. During the ETC, electron carriers such as NADH and FADH2 donate their electrons. These electron carriers are generated during glycolysis, pyruvate processing, and the citric acid cycle. Thus, the starting molecules for electron transport/chemiosmosis are NADH and FADH2.
By understanding the steps and their associated starting molecules, we can comprehend the sequential breakdown of cellular respiration.
We don't have a biology tutor at the present time, and I'm surely no biologist. Perhaps you can find the information you need among these articles, if your text materials seem unclear to you.
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