Chapter 4

The Energy of Life

Cellular Respiration
● Animals, some plants, and other eukaryotes
have to consume organic material to get
energy; they break down molecules from food
to produce ATP
● The process by which we can extract energy
from food is called cellular respiration
● Cellular respiration- process of producing
ATP by breaking down carbon-based
molecules from food when oxygen is present
● Cellular respiration takes place in the
mitochondria: this is why the mitochondria is the
“powerhouse” of your cells!
● Cellular respiration requires oxygen to function
● We refer to cellular respiration as being an
aerobic process (aerobic = needs oxygen)
● Body’s primary form of energy is glucose
Steps in cellular respiration
1. Glycolysis - splits glucose molecule, makes 2
ATP
2. Krebs cycle- produces energy carrying
molecules, finishes breaking down glucose
3. Oxidative phosphorylation- produces 34-36
ATP from energy carrying molecules via the
electron transport chain (ETC)

I expect you to know where the processes

happen, what goes IN, and what goes OUT
Overall reaction for cellular respiration:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O
1. Glycolysis
● “Glyco” = glucose, “lysis” = break
● Takes place in the cytoplasm (outside of the
mitochondria)
● Does not require oxygen to occur → anaerobic
● Breakdown of glucose
● 2 phases of glycolysis: energy investment and
energy payoff
What goes in: 1 glucose, 2 ATP, 2 NAD+
Net total of ATP: 2
What comes out: 2 pyruvate, 4 ATP, 2 NADH
2. Krebs Cycle
● Also called the citric acid cycle (TCA)
● Takes place in the mitochondrial matrix (inside
the mitochondria)
● Main function is to transfer high energy
electrons to molecules that carry them to the
electron transport chain (ETC)
 Krebs cycle uses acetyl CoA to produce This process happens TWICE!!
Total: 4 CO2, 2 FADH2, 6 NADH, 2 ATP
ATP, energy carriers, and CO2
What goes in: What goes out:
1 acetyl CoA 2 CO2
3 NAD+ 3 NADH
1 FADH2+ 1 FADH2 Citric acid is Citric acid breaks
1 ADP 1 ATP formed down, NADH made,
Acetyl CoA CO2 released
enters the cycle

Acetyl CoA
5 carbon molecule is
broken down, NADH
and ATP made

4 carbon molecule
rearranged, NADH and
FADH2 are made
3. Oxidative Phosphorylation/Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
● Takes place in and across the inner membrane of the
mitochondria and within the intermembrane space
● ETC made up of proteins
● Protein use energy supplied by NADH and FADH2
● Energy is used to pump protons (H+ ions) against a
concentration gradient and ACROSS the inner membrane
● Pumps protons INTO the intermembrane space
● Protons fall down their concentration gradient back into
the matrix
● Oxygen is used as the final electron acceptor → aerobic
process
Intermembrane space

H+ ions are transported

across the inner membrane
H+ ions diffuse down back
into the matrix through ATP
synthase;
ADP becomes ATP

Electrons are What goes in: What goes out:

removed from 10 NADH 32-34 ATP
NADH and 2 FADH2 6 H2O
FADH2 6 O2
H2O is formed when O2 picks up
electrons and H+ ions
Summary of Cellular Respiration
1. Glycolysis
-breaks glucose into 2 pyruvate; yields 2 ATP and 2 NADH
2. Pyruvate becomes acetyl CoA
- Acetyl CoA enters the mitochondria; yields 1 CO2 and 1 NADH per pyruvate
1. Citric acid/Krebs cycle (TCA)
- Acetyl CoA enters the cycle, gets broken down; yields 2 CO2, 1 FADH2, 3 NADH, and 1 ATP
per acetyl CoA
1. Oxidative phosphorylation/electron transport chain
- NADH and FADH2 donate electrons to pump H+ to make ATP; yields 6H2O and 32-34 ATP
per molecule of glucose

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

glucose Final e-acceptor From After O2

breakdown of accepts e-
pyruvate and
TCA
Fermentation
● Sometimes your body is put in low-oxygen
environments, such as when you are lifting weights or
are sprinting
● When this happens, you are putting your body in an
anaerobic environment
● Cellular respiration cannot occur without oxygen
● Your body goes into a process called fermentation to
make energy when oxygen is not available
Fermentation- anaerobic process that produces ATP by
glycolysis
● Removes electrons from NADH molecules, turning
them back into NAD+
● NAD+ is now available to accept more electrons from
glycolysis
● Glycolysis can continue and produce 2 ATP at a time
● Role of fermentation is to provide glycolysis with a
steady supply of NAD+
2 kinds of fermentation: lactic acid and alcoholic
fermentation
● Both kinds of fermentation remove electrons from
NADH to make NAD+ and allow glycolysis to continue
 Lactic Acid Fermentation Pyruvate and NADH from
glycolysis enter fermentation
● Occurs in your muscle cells -2 NADH molecules provide
● Happens after glucose is split in glycolysis but oxygen is energy to convert pyruvate into
unavailable lactic acid
● Fermentation will happen and produce lactic acid as a product -NADH is used and turns back
(what causes your muscles to burn during exercise) into NAD+
-2 NAD+ recycled back to
glycolysis, allowing it to continue
 Alcoholic Fermentation
● Occurs in many yeasts and some plants
● Glycolysis splits a glucose and produces 2 net ATP,
2 pyruvate, and 2 NADH
● Pyruvate and NADH enter fermentation
Pyruvate and NADH enter fermentation
-2 NADH molecules provide energy to break
down pyruvate into an alcohol and CO2
-as NADH used, converted back into NAD+
-NAD+ recycled back to glycolysis and allow
glycolysis to continue