Question

how many molecules are generated by the breakdown of one sugar molecule during respiration?

Answer 1

Answer

Cellular respiration is a mechanism by which food molecules like sugar molecules (glucose) completely metabolized to generate ATP (energy currency).

It mainly includes three steps:

1) Glycolysis : In this process, one glucose molecule is metabolized to form 2 pyruvate molecules , 2 ATP (net) and 2 NADH molecules.

2) Krebs cycle or TCA or Citric acid cycle: In this 2 pyruvate molecules gets inside the mitochondria and converted into 2 molecules of acetyl CoA and generates 2 molceules of NADH and after oxidation of acetyl CoA via TCA cycle it generates 3 NADH molecules, 1 FADH2 molecule and 1 ATP or 1 GTP molecule.

3) Oxidative phosphorylation: In this energy metabolism reactions, oxidation of NADH and FADH2 occurs and generates ATP molecules and water molecules

One NADH molecule generate: 3 ATP molecules and one FADH2 molecule generates 2 ATP molecules.