Respiration Stages

Respiration

Glycolysis:

• Occurs in the cytoplasm
• Common to both aerobic and anaerobic respiration
• Generates ATP

• Glucose (six carbon molecule) is phosphorylated to glucose-6-phosphate using ATP
• Glucose-6-phosphate (six carbon molecule) is converted to two molecules of triose phosphate using the coupled reaction of dephosphorylating ATP to ADP
• Triose phosphate (three carbon molecule) is oxidised to pyruvate with the net gain of ATP and the reduction of NAD to NADH

Only Occurs in Anaerobic Respiration:

• In plant and yeast cells pyruvate is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide using the coupled reaction of oxidising NADH back to NAD
• Ethanol is toxic at critical concentrations and can kill cells
• In animal cells pyruvate is converted to lactate using the coupled reaction of oxidising NADH to NAD
• NAD is recycled to be used in glycolysis for continued ATP production

Link Reaction:

• Only occurs in aerobic respiration
• After glycolysis, pyruvate is actively transported into the matrix of the mitochondria
• Pyruvate (three carbon molecule) is oxidised to acetate using coupled reaction of reducing…