During cellular respiration, the molecule that is broken down is sugar.
During cellular respiration, the molecule that is broken down is sugar. Sugar, or glucose, is the primary molecule that is broken down to produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the energy currency of the cell. The process of breaking down sugar to produce ATP occurs in multiple steps, such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain. These processes involve the gradual breaking of the covalent bonds in sugar molecules, releasing energy that is eventually stored in ATP.
