Cellular Respiration
Cellular Respiration
Cellular Respiration
Ecosystem
Photosynthesis
(in chloroplasts)
Oxygen Water
Cellular respiration
(in mitochondria)
for cellular work
Heat energy
We have been designed to liberate energy from
food molecules by aerobic cellular respiration.
This process is described as aerobic because
oxygen is required. Why is oxygen required?
During cellular respiration, hydrogen and its
bonding electrons change partners from glucose
to water.
Oxygen is the final e- acceptor.
C6H12O6 2 C3H4O3
glucose pyruvic
acid
2NAD + 4H 2NADH2
2 Pyruvic acid
Glucose
• In animals if oxygen is not present to take the e-
from NADH2, then the e- will be donated to pyruvic
acid = Lactic acid pathway (anaerobic respiration).
• The final product is lactic acid. This metabolic
pathway only yields 2 ATP/molecule.
2 ADP+ 2
Glycolysis
2 NAD 2 NAD
Glucose 2 Pyruvic + 2 H
acid 2 Lactic
acid
• Various types of microorganisms perform
fermentation
– Yeast cells carry out a slightly different type of
fermentation pathway = alcoholic fermentation
– This pathway produces CO2 and ethyl alcohol
2 ADP+
2 2 CO2 released
2 ATP
Glycolysis
2 NAD 2 NAD
Glucose 2 Pyruvic 2 Ethyl
+ 2 H alcohol
acid
• Transition reaction = pyruvic acid moves into
the matrix of the mitochondrion. CO2 is cleaved
off and at the same time Coenzyme A is
added.Coenzyme A is derived from the vitamin
pantotenic acid.
NAD + 2H NADH2
Acetic
Pyruvic acid Acetyl-CoA
acid (acetyl-coenzyme A)
CO2 Coenzyme A
Krebs Cycle
• Acetic acid (2C) is added to oxaloacetic
acid (4C) to form citric acid (6C). CO2 is
enzymatically released. This occurs in the
matrix of the mitochondria.
3NAD+6H 3NADH2
2C2H3O-CoA 4CO2
FAD+2H FADH2 2ADP+P 2ATP
Input Output
Acetic acid
2 CO2
ADP
Krebs
Cycle
3 NAD
FAD
Electron Transport System
• e- are passed along a chain of molecules to O2,
which acts as the final e- acceptor.
– The chain functions as a chemical machine that uses
energy released by the “fall” of electrons to pump
hydrogen ions across the inner mito-chondrial
membrane
– These ions store potential energy
– When the hydrogen ions flow back through the
membrane, they release energy
34 ADP+Pi 34 ATP
2 H+ + 2e- + ½ O2 H 2O
• If the last member of the chain remained in a reduced
state, it would be unable to accept more e-. E- transport
would then progress only to the next-to-last molecule.
This process would continue until all of the elements of
the chain remained in the reduced state. At this point,
the system would stop and no ATP could be produced
in the mitochondrion. With the system incapacitated,
NADH2 and FADH2 could not become oxidized by
donating their electrons to the chain and, through
inhibition of Krebs cycle enzymes, no more NADH2 and
FADH2 could be produced in the mitochondrion. The
Krebs cycle would stop and respiration would become
anaerobic..
• Lipids and proteins can also be used in aerobic
respiration. Food
Amino groups