Reactions and Energetics of

Glycolysis
 Principles of Bioenergetics

• Metabolism: the sum of all the chemical transformations taking

place in a cell, occurs through a series of enzyme-catalyzed
reactions that constitute metabolic pathways
• Bioenergetics is the quantitative study of energy relationships
and energy conversions in biological systems
• ATP is the energy currency of the living cell. It behaves as a
chemical link between catabolism and anabolism
• Transfer of phosphoryl group from ATP provides the energy for
anabolic reactions
• Redox reactions in living cell requires specialized electron
carriers (Coenzymes like NAD+ and NADP+ and prosthetic
groups like FAD and FMN)
 Carbohydrate Metabolism
• Glucose is rich in potential energy.
• Metabolism of glucose aerobically or
anaerobically produce ATP
• Fate of glucose

Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (4 th edition)

 GLYCOLYSIS
• Glucose (6C) molecule is degraded in this pathway to yield two molecules
of pyruvate (3C)
• In this pathway, free energy is released in the form of ATP and NADH
• This pathway comprises of two phases (10 step reaction)
• First phase is a Preparatory Phase and second is Payoff Phase
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (4 th edition)
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry (4 th edition)
 ATP generated during GLYCOLYSIS
• Glycolysis can be an aerobic or anaerobic pathway occuring in
cytoplasm
• Aerobic: 8 ATP molecules synthesized
• Anaerobic : 2 ATP molecules are synthesized during reaction
• Overall equation:
• Glucose + 2NAD+ + 2ADP + 2Pi ---2 pyruvate + 2NADH + 2H+
+ 2ATP + 2H2O
• Each molecule of glucose degrades to give:
2 molecules of pyruvate
2 molecules of NADH (1NADH=3ATP)
2 molecules of ATP