main steps in aerobic respiration - Biology - Respiration in Plants

Question

main steps in aerobic respiration

Ritika Goyal · Accepted Answer

Aerobic respiration is the cellular process in which glucose is
broken down into carbon dioxide and water in the presence of oxygen
and large amounts of ATP is released This process includes the
following steps:
1) Glycosis:
Glycolysis is the breakdown of glucose into two molecules of
pyruvate This breakdown occurs through a series of reactions and
does not require oxygen At the end of this stage, we have two
molecules of pyruvate, two NADH, two ATP and two molecules of water
This process occurs in cytoplasm of the cell
2) Pyruvate
decarboxylation: This is also known as the link reaction
between glycolysis and kreb's cycle An enzyme complex known as
pyruvate dehydrogenase complex cconverts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA
and carbon dioxide It occurs at the membrane of mitochondria and
after it acetyl CoA enters the mitochondria for kreb's cycle During
this process one NADH is formed for every pyruvate molecule
3) Kreb's cycle or
tricarboxylic acid cycle: Acetyl CoA which enters the
mitochondria in the previous reaction combines with oxaloacetic
acid to form citric acid then through a series of reaction
oxaloacetic acid is regenerated and the acetyl CoA is broken down
to form carbon dioxide and water During the process 3 NADH, 1 FADH
and 1 ATP are released from one molecule of acetyl CoA This process
occurs in mitochondria
4) Oxidative
phosphorylation or electron transport chain: It occurs at
mitochondrial inner membrane In this process ATP are generated
using the electron crriers formed in the previous steps (NADH and
FADH) The electrons from these molecules are taken up and
transferred through a series of complexes This results in
difference in proton concentration at the two sides of the inner
membrane This difference is used to synthesize ATP, which is the
energy currency of the cell
One NADH results in the formation
of 3 ATP, while one FADH results in formation of 2 ATP
Therefore, at the end of the complete aerobic respiraion
process, a total of 36 molecules of ATP are formed
from one molecule of glucose