Anaerobic & Aerobic Respiration

Respiration using OXYGEN

Most efficent way to transfer energy from GLUCOSE

Happens all the time in plants and animals

Most of aerobic respiration reactions happen in the MITOCHONDRIA

 Word and symbol equations:

GLUCOSE + OXYGEN --> CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER

C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6CO2 + 6H2O

Used if there is not enough OXYGEN

Occurs when you are doing exercise and cannot provide enough oxygen to your muscles using just aerobic respiration.

It is the incomplete breakdown of glucose, making lactic acid.

GLUCOSE --> LACTIC ACID

Anaerobic respiration does not transfer as much energy as aerobic respiration because glucose isn't fully oxidised

Anaerobic respiration is only used in emergencies e.g. during exercise to continue using your muscles for longer.

Plants and yeast can also respire without OXYGEN but they produce ETHANOL and CARBON DIOXIDE instead of lactic acid.

GLUCOSE --> ETHANOL + CARBON DIOXIDE

Anaerobic respiration in yeast cells is called FERMENTATION

In bread making = Carbon Dioxide from fermentation makes bread rise

In beer/wine making = The fermentation process produces ALCOHOL

After resorting to anerobic respiration, when you stop exercising you'll have an oxygen debt. 

An oxygen debt is the amount of extra oxygen your body needs to react with the build up of lactic acid and remove it from the cells. Oxygen reacts with the lactic acid to form C02 and water.

You have to repay the oxygen you could not provide your muscles during the exercise.

This means you have to breathe heavily after stopping exercise to get more oxygen into your blood which is transported to the muscle cells.

The pulse and breathing rate stays high whilst there are high levels of lactic acid and CO2.

Another way of dealing with lactic acid:

The blood that enters your muscles transports the lactic acid to the liver. In the liver, the lactic acid is converted back to the glucose.