Before We Begin: Vocabulary Words You Should Know What IS Cellular Respiration? Why do we perform it?

1. Cellular Respiration is the process by which cells in plants and animals break

Cellular Respiration:
1. ATP: Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short, is the energy currency of life. ATP is a
down sugar and turn it into energy.
high-energy molecule found in every cell. Its job is to store and supply the cell with
needed energy.
2. Enzyme: Proteins that act as catalysts within living cells. Catalysts increase the rate at
which chemical reactions occur without being consumed or permanently altered

How Does It Work?

themselves. ... As a catalyst, an enzyme can facilitate the same chemical reaction over 2. It is used to create usable energy from the foods we eat reactions involved in
and over again. cellular respiration are catabolic (energy is derived from bigger molecules being
3. Oxidize: undergo or cause to undergo a reaction in which electrons are lost
4. Electron Carriers: molecules that are capable of accepting one or two electrons from broken down into smaller molecules).
one molecule and donating them to another in the process of electron transport
5. Aerobic: Occurring in the presence of oxygen or requiring oxygen.
By: Purwa Baseer
3. The purpose of cellular respiration is to provide cells with energy they need to
function.

Glycolysis Glycolysis
Formula for Cellular Respiration
From here,
- This part of CR occurs in the cytoplasm near the mitochondria.
- A sequence of enzymatic reactions that converts a six-carbon glucose 1. The cell can either proceed
molecule into two pyruvate three-carbon molecules with a production of with aerobic respiration and go
four ATP molecules. on to The Krebs Cycle.
- However, two ATP molecules are required to drive the splitting of the 2. Or the cell can take on
anaerobic respiration in a
glucose molecule. (So, there is only a net production of two ATP
process, called fermentation.
molecules).
Diagram for Cellular Respiration
- Also produces two NADH molecules (which are important late in the
electron transport chain).
This step creates 2 ATP molecules!
Pyruvate Oxidation The Krebs Cycle The Krebs Cycle
1. Follows glycolysis. - Also known as The Citric Acid Cycle .
2. Here, the conversion of pyruvates takes - Acetyl-CoA enters the Krebs cycle by combining with a four-carbon acid
place into: carbon dioxide, acetyl coA, and - The combination forms the six-carbon acid called citric acid. Citric acid undergoes a series
NADH. of enzyme-catalyzed conversions. The conversions, which involve up to ten chemical
3. the pyruvic acid molecule is broken down by reactions, are all brought about by enzymes.
- Also during the Krebs cycle, the two carbon atoms of acetyl-CoA are released, and each
an enzyme, one carbon atom is released in
forms a carbon dioxide molecule. Thus, for each acetyl-CoA entering the cycle, two carbon
the form of carbon dioxide, and the dioxide molecules are formed.
remaining two carbon atoms are combined - For the final product, The Krebs Cycle forms (per two molecules of pyruvic acid) two ATP
with a co enzyme called coenzyme A. This molecules, ten NADH molecules, and two FADH2 molecules. The NADH and the FADH2 will
combination forms acetyl-CoA. In the be used in the electron transport system.
process, electrons and a hydrogen ion are
transferred to NAD to form high-energy This step creates 2 ATP molecules!
NADH.

Electron Transport Chain Electron Transport Chain

- Made up of four protein complexes
- Here, NADH and FADH2 are used (and recycled) -
10 NADH: two from glycolysis, two from pyruvate oxidation, and six from The Krebs Cycle
2 FADH2: both from The Krebs Cycle
- NADH and FADH2 are known as electron carriers. This means they are capable of donating
electrons to the transport chain.
Electrons pass from complex to complex, they power the movement of hydrogen atoms into the
-
intermembrane space. The number of hydrogen atoms will build up and flow back to the matrix
simultaneously powering the production of ATP
This creates a proton gradient out into the intermembrane space, and back into the
mitochondrial matrix through ATP Synthase (produces ATP!)

This step creates 32-34 ATP molecules!