Question

What is glycolysis? What are the products of this process?

Answer 1

Glycolysis, the first stage of the aerobic cell respiration, is a process in which glucose is degraded (broken) to form two pyruvic acid molecules along with the formation of two ATP and two NADH.

Glycolysis is a complex reaction implying the formation of several intermediate molecules until pyruvic acid molecules are made. Although two ATP molecules are consumed in the reaction, there is also production of four molecules of ATP, thus a positive balance of two ATP molecules is obtained. Two NADH molecules are also produced. In glycolysis the 6-carbon structure of glucose is broken and two organic chains of three carbons each are made; these chains give birth to two pyruvic acid molecules.