Cellular Respiration Research Paper

Cellular respiration is a process of simple reactions that allow organisms to get energy from food. Cellular Respiration requires oxygen and glucose to produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Since it requires oxygen, it is aerobic. The process of cellular respiration is broken into three stages. The three stages of cellular respiration are glycolysis, the Krebs’s cycle, and the electron transport chain. These stages allow for energy to be obtained in an organism. The process of the stages include breaking down food into energy molecules, breaking and rearranging molecules, and transporting them throughout the cell. The first stage in cellular respiration is where the glucose is broken down and the energy is used to produce ATP. The chemical pathway in which this takes place is the glycolysis. Glycolysis is located in the cytoplasm of a cell and contains six glucose molecules. During the process, 2 ATP are used and 4 ATP are made. 2 NADPH are also made. 90% of the energy from the glucose isn’t used and is in pyruvic acid. After the glucose has been broken down, the energy will then go through the Krebs cycle.

This process takes place in the mitochondria. In the process of the Krebs cycle, every 2 Pyruvic acid molecules are broken down into 6CO2 molecules. During the phase of the Krebs’s cycle, the cell gets rid of carbon dioxide. Two carbon atoms form acetic acids and react with coenzyme A to form acetyl-CoA. The acetyl-CoA joins with a 4-carbon molecule to form citric acid. During the Krebs’s cycle, energy is extracted and carbon dioxide is exhaled, and is no longer part of the process of cellular respiration. Next, the electrons will be transferred to carriers in the third and final stage of cellular