Aerobic Respiration Steps

- During the aerobic respiration of one glucose molecule 2870kJ of energy are released.
- The fact that respiration takes place in the form of many small reactions is because this allows
for more precise control of the process through feedback mechanisms.

Glycolysis (In the cytoplasm)

Glycolysis: The splitting of glucose.

- Glucose, despite its reactivity still has a relatively high activation energy. Through
phosphorylation and the use of enzymes, this activation energy is lowered enough to make
respiration happen at a decent rate.
1. Glucose is phosphorylated first into glucose phosphate, than into fructose phosphate, and then
into fructose 1,6- bisphosphate.

- The phosphorylation taps the energy of glucose by raising its energy level.
- Two ATP molecules are converted to ADP in this step.
2. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is then converted into 2 triose phosphate molecules through a
series of reactions.
3. Each triose phosphate is converted into pyruvate. This occurs through a series of reactions in
which 2 ATP molecules are formed by substrate level phosphorylation and one NAD molecule
oxidises the triose phosphate to form reduced NAD (for each triose phosphate).

- NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme and a hydrogen carrier discussed

later.

- Coenzyme: A non-protein molecule which allows enzymes to catalyse reactions by binding

with them.

The Link Reaction (In the matrix)

1 The pyruvate molecules are actively transported into the matrix through both membranes.
4. It is decarboxylated (loses carbon dioxide) and dehydrogenated (loses hydrogen) to become
2C acetyl molecule.

- 1 NAD is reduced for each of these pyruvate molecules.

5. It then combines with coenzyme A (CoA) to form acetyl CoA.

- CoA is a coenzyme made of pantothenic acid, ribose, and adenine.

- The link reaction can be carried out with fatty acids as well. When triglycerides are respired, the

glycerol and fatty acids separate and are converted into pyruvate and acetyl correspondingly
(explained in respiratory substrates). The acetyl made from fatty acids combines with CoA and
goes into the Krebs cycle.
The Krebs Cycle (In the matrix)

- It is also called the citric acid cycle or the tricarboxylic acid cycle due to the first product of the
series of reactions in it.
1 Acetyl CoA carries the acetyl group to the Krebs cycle.
6. CoA releases the acetyl group and the acetyl group reacts with 4C oxaloacetate to form 6C
citrate.
7. Citrate is decarboxylated and dehydrogenated into a 5C molecule.

- An NAD molecule is reduced and CO2 is released.

8. The 5C molecule is decarboxylated and dehyrdogenated to form a 4C molecule.

- An NAD molecule is reduced and CO2 is released. In this series of reactions ATP is formed

from ADP and inorganic phosphate by substrate level phosphorylation.

9. This 4C molecule is dehydrogenated to form oxaloacetate again.

- In this process one NAD molecule and 1 FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) are reduced.

- The main contribution of the Krebs cycle to aerobic respiration is the release of hydrogen which
can be used in the next step: oxidative phosphorylation.

- The Krebs cycle repeats its circuit twice for every glucose molecule.

Oxidative Phosphorylation(In the cristae)

1 Reduced NAD and FAD arrive at the electron transport chain (ETC) in the cristae.
10. Reduced NAD and FAD are oxidised, releasing their hydrogens.
11. The hydrogens are split into H+ ions (protons) and electrons.
1. The electrons travel through the ETC down an energy gradient.

- The ETC contains proteins which act as electron carriers. There are four types of these

electron carriers and a functional unit containing one of each is called a respiratory complex.
2. As the electrons pass from one electron carrier to another, energy is released. This energy is
used by transport proteins in the membrane to pump the protons from the matrix into the
intermembrane space.

- Since the protons cannot pass back directly through the inner membrane, a proton gradient /

concentration gradient is formed.

1. The protons, therefore, can only travel through ATP synthase, which is in the inner membrane.
As protons pass through the channel, their electrical potential is used to synthesis ATP in the
process of chemiosmosis.
2. The electrons and protons are then passed to a final electron acceptor (oxygen) to form water.
All the green numbers represent the process of chemiosmosis. Chemiosmosis occurs in both
chloroplasts and mitochondria in eukaryotes. In chloroplasts, the final electron acceptor in NADP,
not water.

- ATP synthase:
It is a channel protein and an enzyme containing three binding sites and one region called
gamma.

- Gamma rotates every time a proton passes through the protein. This produces structural
changes which allow them to pass through 3 phases:
1. Binding ADP and inorganic phosphate
2. Forming tightly bound (stable) ATP
3. Releasing ATP

- Hydrogen carrier molecules

 Theoretically, for every FAD molecule reduced, 2 ATP molecules are formed and for every
NAD molecule reduced, 3 ATP molecules are formed. However, in reality and in the exam
because ADP and inorganic phosphate are not always available fast enough 1 FADH= 1.5
ATP and 1 NADH = 2.5 ATP.

NAD contains 2 ribose, 1 nicotinamide group, and 1 adenine nitrogenous base.

FAD contains 1 ribose, 1 ribitol (a linear molecule), and 1 adenine.
Overview

This is the overview for what happens when one glucose molecule is respired aerobically.
Process

ATP used

ATP made

Net ATP
gain

CO2 made

FAD made

NAD made

Glycolysis

Link reaction

Krebs cycle

Oxidative
phosphrylation

28

28

Total

34

32

10