The Net Energy Produced

by Aerobic Glycolysis of One Glucose Molecule

Glycolysis:
Energy Ingestion Phase:
The energy consuming reactions
involved in glycolysis are those that
consume ATP and are only reaction 1
and 3 taking 2 ATP only.
Energy Production Phase:
You’ll notice the energy producing
reactions are doubled, so we must take
that into consideration.
They are reactions 5, 6 and 9, in which
they produce 2 NADH and 4 ATP.

1 NADH = 3 ATP
So, in total, 2 ATP minus 10 ATP equals
8 ATP made by glycolysis.
NOTE: Difference in the electron
carriers will produce different ATP
results varying by 2 so either 6 or 8.
TCA Cycle + Link Reaction:
Pre TCA-Cycle, a link reaction turning
pyruvate into acetyl CoA will produce 1
NADH.

Note that we have 2 pyruvates from

the two duplicate reactions previously
of glycolysis, so the total must be
multiplied by 2.
Reactions 4, 5 and 9 all produce NADH,
while reaction 6 produces 1 ATP and
reaction 7 produces FADH2.
1 FADH2 = 2 ATP
So, in total, 15 ATPs are produced,
multiplied by 2 equals 30 ATPS

30 ATPs + 8 ATPs = 38 ATP

1 | by Mohammed Essam Abas Eljack

Electron Transport Chain:
• The electron transport chain in very simple terms recycles the electron carriers for further
production of ATP.

Total Calculations:
• To reach the conclusion of the calculations, we must first revise some things to make our
calculations clearer.

Q. Why do we notice the variation in glucose production between 32, 36 and 38?
A. NADH generated by glycolysis can’t enter the mitochondria and donate its electrons directly to the electron
transport chain.

In the liver, kidney and heart cells, NADH passes its electrons to malate, a shuttle molecule that delivers the
electrons to the beginning of the electron transport chain and generates the maximum amount of ATP (38).

In skeletal muscle and brains cells, however, the glycolytic NADH transfers its electrons to glycerol
phosphate, a different shuttle that donates the electrons farther down the electron transport chain and
generates less ATP (about 36)

As for the 32 ATPs in new references, that’s due to the new method of protons to electrons divison method,
where NADH = 2.5 and FADH = 1.5.

In conclusion, the total ATP produced using the old method equals 36 – 38.
While the new method will equal 32.

2 | by Mohammed Essam Abas Eljack