Name and describe the 4 steps involved in aerobic respiration

Glycolysis- This is the first step which occurs in the cytosol. glucose broken down into pyruvate yielding 2 net atp and 2 pyruvate molecules per glucose. This is the only step in anaerobic respiration. 

Link Reaction- The pyruvate produced in glycolysis is converted into acetyl coA, a 2 carbon molecule, with the loss of a molecule of CO2. Pyruvate diffuses into the mitochondria from the cytosol for this to occur. The acetyl coA produced is taken into the Krebs cycle.

Krebs Cycle- acetyl coA combines with 4C molecule oxaloacetate to form 6C citric acid, hence the name of the cycle and via a series of steps and molecular rearrangements, oxoloacetate is reformed with 2 molecules of CO2 being produced and 4 molecules of reduced NAD and FAD.

Electron Transport Chain- Where most of the ATP in aerobic respiration is produced. Electrons enter and via a series of redox reactions they move down the chain, losing energy at each step. This energy is used to pump protons out into the intermembrane space. These then diffuse back in through ATP synthase, which produces ATP.

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