How many molecules of pyruvic acid are produced when a single glucose molecule undergoes glycolysis?(1 point)
Responses
2
2
1
1
4
4
0
0
The correct answer is 2 molecules of pyruvic acid. To understand why, let's look at how glucose is metabolized during glycolysis.
Glycolysis is a metabolic process that occurs in the cytoplasm of living cells. In this process, one molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvic acid. Each molecule of glucose is broken down into two three-carbon molecules of pyruvic acid through a series of enzymatic reactions.
To arrive at this answer, you must understand the basic steps of glycolysis and how glucose is converted into pyruvic acid. Glycolysis can be broken down into two distinct phases: the preparatory phase and the payoff phase.
During the preparatory phase, glucose is converted into fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, which is then split into two three-carbon sugars called glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. These intermediates are then further metabolized to produce two molecules of pyruvic acid. So, for each molecule of glucose that enters glycolysis, two molecules of pyruvic acid are produced.
Therefore, the answer is 2 molecules of pyruvic acid.