Gr 12 Respiration Basics

What is Respiration?

Cell respiration is the controlled release of energy from organic compounds to produce ATP

ATP from cell respiration is immediately available as a source of energy in the cell

Anaerobic cell respiration gives a small yield of ATP from glucose

Aerobic cell respiration requires oxygen and gives a large yield of ATP from glucose

Anaerobic respiration involves the partial breakdown of glucose in the cytosol for a small yield of ATP

Aerobic respiration utilises oxygen to completely break down glucose in the mitochondria for a larger ATP yield

Both anaerobic and aerobic respiration pathways begin with the anaerobic breakdown of glucose in the cytosol by glycolysis

Glycolysis breaks down glucose (6-C) into two molecules of pyruvate (3C), and also produces:

Hydrogen carriers (NADH) from an oxidised precursor (NAD⁺)
A small yield of ATP (net gain of 2 molecules)

To break (oxidize) Glucose, it is necessary to destabilise it. To do so, 2 ATP are used by certain enzymes to attach a phosophate group to the glucose. This makes it very unstable, and easily broken down.

When ADP gets phosophorylated to become ATP, 2 of them are produced for each 3 carbon molcule.

4 overall ATP produced - 2 used ATP for phosphorylation=2 NET ATP

What is NAD? and what is it's job?

NAD is a Hydrogen and an Electron carrier.

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