Group Members:

Cassie McOmber;
Kayley Basden;

Diagram

Step 1: Glycolysis
Glycolysis is the process of splitting sugars. Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that
converts glucose C6H12O6, into pyruvate, CH3COCOO + H. The free energy
released in this process is used to form the high-energy compounds ATP (adenosine
triphosphate) and NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Glucose (a
six-carbon molecule) is split into three carbon sugars. The three carbon sugars are
then oxidized and rearranged to form two pyruvates. During the energy investment
phase of glycolysis, ATP is used. ATP is reproduced with some extra during the pay-
off phase. During the energy investment phase glucose uses ATP to create 2 ADP +
2 Phosphates. During the energy payoff phase ATP is produces by saturate-level
phosphorylation and NAD+ is reduced to NADH by electrons released from the
oxidation of glucose.

Step 2: Oxidation of Pyruvate, (Linker Step)

Here we have the two Pyruvates from Glycolysis and we are going to Oxidize them
or in other words we are going to take what was once a 3 Carbon molecule of
Pyruvate and we are going to add Oxygen to one of the Carbons breaking it off the
Pyruvate to form CO2 or Carbon Dioxide. This happens to both Pyruvates and you
end up with 2 molecules of Acetyl Co A which is then sent to the citric acid cycle.

Step 3: Citric Acid Cycle

The citric acid cycle oxidizes the 2C acetyl group from the pyruvate created in
glycolysis. Glucose becomes fully oxidized to CO2 and energy from glucose is
captured as 3 NADH, 1 FADH2 and 1 ATP per cycle. First acetyl enters the citric acid
cycle to make citric acid then it is rearranged into an isocitrate. The second phase
oxidizes 2 carbons to CO2 producing NADH (redox reaction). During the third phase
oxaloacetate is regenerated. The NADH and FADH2 produced by the cycle deliver
electrons extracted from food to the electron transport chain where the energy is
used to generate a proton gradient and then APT by oxidative phosphorylation. By
the end of the citric acid cycle glucose will be fully oxidized to produce 6 CO2, 4
ATP, 10 NADH and 2 FADH2.

Step 4: ETC and Chemiosmosis (Oxidative Phosphorylation),

Through the process of the Citric Acid Cycle NADH and FADH2 were produced, those
two molecules are shipped to the electron transport chain. NADH is sent to complex
I where it donates two electrons which then helps to pump hydrogen ions across the
inner mitochondrial membrane into the intermembrane space from the matrix.
Ubiquinone then transfers the electrons to complex III where it helps pump two
more hydrogen ions into the intermembrane space, then when 4 electrons have
been shipped to complex IV those electrons then take oxygen and hydrogen and
form water, oxygen is the last acceptor in the Electron Transport Chain (ETC).
(FADH2 is shipped to complex II). Next because of the gradient created with the ETC
a protein called ATP Synthase can take molecules of ADP and Pi (Inorganic
phosphate) and use the energy of the gradient to make ATP. This part of Cellular
respiration is responsible for most of the ATP production in our cells, makes 28 to 32
ATP.

Misconceptions: The whole process of cellular respiration was mostly new to us,
so there was a lot about that we were unware of. For example, we were not sure
where exactly or how the ATP was made. Now we know that most parts of Cellular
respiration take place inside the mitochondria except for Glycolysis which takes
place in the cytoplasm and makes two ATP the rest of the ATP is made inside the
mitochondrion in both the citric acid cycle (2ATP) and the last step which is
oxidative phosphorylation (28-34 ATP) the ATP being produced by ATP Synthase
which is part of the inner mitochondrial membrane.
I (Cassie) thought that there was only two parts of cellular respiration Glycolysis
and the Electron Transport Chain. But now I know that there are four parts,
Glycolysis, linker step, Citric Acid Cycle, and Oxidative Phosphorylation. IF there
were only the two steps that I thought there were then we would make a lot less ATP
because the ETC would only have 2 NADH molecules per glucose and then in total
we would only make 4 ATP. With all of the steps we can make up to 38 ATP.
Why do we need the constant input of sunlight in order for life to survive? Well
because through every process of change, chemical or otherwise we lose energy in
a from that cannot be used this is called Entropy. Because the universe is constantly
moving from a state of order to disorder, and life by its very definition is highly
ordered we require energy to maintain this order. Plants can absorb sunlight in a
process called photosynthesis which take the energy of the sun and converts it into
usable energy for 1st and 2nd level consumers and decomposers. Because life is
ordered moving towards a state of disordered all of that energy cannot be
continuously cycled because of entropy. So, because we lose some energy every
time we perform a reaction plants must consume energy from the sun and then we
must eat that converted energy.