Name: citric acid cycle output in cellular respiration
Uploaded: 2025-10-23T11:48:50.000Z
Duration: 53 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Virginia  Standards of Learning

HIgh School

Life Science

LS.4

LS.4.b

Products of the Citric Acid Cycle

In the presence of oxygen, pyruvate moves into the mitochondria after glycolysis, where oxidation of one molecule of pyruvate produces one acetyl-CoA, one molecule of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and one NADH. Then, acetyl-CoA enters the citric acid cycle and is modified to produce two molecules of CO2, three NADHs, one ATP, and one FADH2 in addition to the earlier products of glycolysis. So the product of a single glucose molecule, or two pyruvate molecules after oxidation of pyruvate and the citric acid cycle is six molecules of CO2, eight NADHs, two ATPs, and two molecules of FADH2.

products of the citric acid cycle

The cells of most organisms&#8212;including plants and animals&#8212;obtain usable energy through aerobic respiration, the oxygen-requiring version of cellular respiration. Aerobic respiration consists of four major stages: glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. The third major stage, the citric acid cycle, is also known as the Krebs cycle or tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle.

For every glucose molecule that undergoes cellular respiration, the citric acid cycle is carried out twice; this is because glycolysis (the first stage of aerobic respiration) produces two pyruvate molecules per glucose molecule. During pyruvate oxidation (the second stage of aerobic respiration), each pyruvate molecule is converted into one molecule of acetyl-CoA&#8212;the input into the citric acid cycle. Therefore, for every glucose molecule, two acetyl-CoA molecules are produced. Each of the two acetyl-CoA molecules goes once through the citric acid cycle.

The citric acid cycle begins with the fusion of acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate to form citric acid. For each acetyl-CoA molecule, the products of the citric acid cycle are two carbon dioxide molecules, three NADH molecules, one FADH2 molecule, and one GTP/ATP molecule. Therefore, for every glucose molecule (which generates two acetyl-CoA molecules), the citric acid cycle yields four carbon dioxide molecules, six NADH molecules, two FADH2 molecules, and two GTP/ATP molecules. The citric acid cycle also regenerates oxaloacetate, the molecule that starts the cycle.

While the ATP yield of the citric acid cycle is modest, the generation of coenzymes NADH and FADH2 is critical for ATP production in the final stage of cellular respiration, oxidative phosphorylation. These coenzymes act as electron carriers and donate their electrons to the electron transport chain, ultimately driving the production of most of the ATP produced by cellular respiration.

The cells of most organisms&#8212;including plants and animals&#8212;obtain usable energy through aerobic respiration, the oxygen-requiring version of ...

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Biology

Cellular Processes

Cellular Respiration

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

citric acid cycle output in cellular respiration

The citric acid cycle is a key stage of aerobic respiration in cells. It is also called the Krebs cycle or the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Plants and animals use this oxygen-requiring pathway as part of cellular respiration.

This cycle happens after glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation. Glycolysis makes two pyruvate molecules from each glucose molecule. During pyruvate oxidation, each pyruvate becomes acetyl-CoA, which is the input for the citric acid cycle. That means one glucose molecule leads to two acetyl-CoA molecules, and each one enters the cycle once.

The cycle starts when acetyl-CoA joins with oxaloacetate to form citric acid. For each acetyl-CoA, the cycle produces two carbon dioxide molecules, three NADH molecules, one FADH2 molecule, and one GTP or ATP molecule. It also regenerates oxaloacetate, which allows the cycle to begin again.

For each glucose molecule, the citric acid cycle runs twice. As a result, it produces four carbon dioxide molecules, six NADH molecules, two FADH2 molecules, and two GTP or ATP molecules. The ATP output is small, but the NADH and FADH2 are very important because they carry electrons to oxidative phosphorylation, where most cellular ATP is made.

Citric Acid Cycle Output in Cellular Respiration

citric-acid-cycle-output-in-cellular-respiration

what is glycolysis?

Glycolysis: How Cells Break Down Glucose

Glycolysis is the first stage of cellular respiration and a key way cells break down glucose to make energy. Cellular respiration converts food energy from macromolecules into ATP, the cell’s main energy currency. Glycolysis also creates intermediate molecules that can feed into other pathways. In this pathway, one six-carbon sugar such as glucose is split into two three-carbon molecules, including pyruvate. The process produces a net gain of two ATP molecules, since four ATP are made and two...

energy-requiring steps of glycolysis

Glycolysis: Glucose Trapping and Splitting

Glycolysis begins in the cytosol, where glucose is prepared for use as energy. This process has two phases: an energy-requiring phase and an energy-releasing phase. The first phase changes glucose into a more reactive, unstable form before it can move into later steps. In the first step, glucose is phosphorylated, which means a phosphate group is added from ATP. This produces glucose 6-phosphate. The added phosphate is negatively charged, so it cannot cross the hydrophobic cell membrane. As a...

energy-releasing steps of glycolysis

Glycolysis: ATP and NADH Formation

Glycolysis produces ATP and NADH during its energy-releasing phase. These reactions are the last steps of glycolysis and convert glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, or G3P, into pyruvate. The phase is often described as steps 6 to 10, and it happens twice because two 3-carbon sugars are made earlier in glycolysis. The sixth step begins with two linked events. G3P is oxidized, which means it loses hydrogen, and it is phosphorylated, which means a phosphate group is added. NAD+ acts as the electron...

pyruvate oxidation

How Pyruvate Becomes Acetyl CoA

Pyruvate is prepared for the next stage of cellular respiration inside the mitochondria. After glycolysis, the charged pyruvate molecules enter the mitochondria by active transport. There, they go through three enzymatic reactions so the energy stored in pyruvate can be used by the cell. First, pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate. This step releases carbon dioxide. Next, the stripped molecule is oxidized, and the electrons are picked up by NAD+ to make NADH. The...

the citric acid cycle

Citric Acid Cycle Energy and Products

The citric acid cycle is a key energy-making pathway in cells. It is also called the Krebs cycle or the TCA cycle. In eukaryotic cells, it takes place in the matrix of mitochondria. In prokaryotic cells, it occurs in the cytoplasm. The cycle starts with acetyl CoA, which enters the pathway after pyruvate oxidation. That earlier step makes two acetyl CoA molecules per glucose molecule. For that reason, the citric acid cycle runs twice for each glucose molecule. The pathway includes eight...

electron transport chains

ATP Production by the Electron Transport Chain

ATP production in the electron transport chain is the final stage of cellular respiration. This stage is part of oxidative phosphorylation, which has two steps: the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis. In eukaryotic cells, the electron transport chain sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Its main job is to build a proton gradient. That gradient is then used during chemiosmosis to make ATP. The process also regenerates the electron carriers NAD+ and FAD, which are needed again in...

chemiosmosis

ATP Production by Chemiosmosis

ATP production by chemiosmosis is part of oxidative phosphorylation, the efficient stage of cellular respiration that makes most of the cell’s ATP. Oxidative phosphorylation includes two linked processes: the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis. Together, they help generate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the main energy molecule used by cells. The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. These complexes pass electrons through a set...

electron carriers

Electron Carriers in Cellular Respiration

Electron carriers help move electrons through cellular respiration. They act like shuttles that can accept electrons, which means they are reduced, or give electrons away, which means they are oxidized. This changing between oxidized and reduced forms is essential for energy production. As glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water, it loses electrons at several stages. Electron carriers pick up those electrons and store them temporarily. They then release the electrons into the...

fermentation

Fermentation Pathways Without Oxygen

Fermentation is a metabolic pathway that lets cells make energy without oxygen. It begins after glucose is split into two pyruvate molecules during glycolysis. Glycolysis is the same first step used in aerobic respiration. When oxygen is unavailable, pyruvate does not enter aerobic respiration. Instead, cells convert pyruvate into other organic molecules through pathways that depend on the organism. A key purpose of fermentation is to regenerate NAD+ from NADH so glycolysis can keep running. <br...

dietary connections

How Food Becomes ATP

Food becomes ATP through connected steps in cellular respiration. Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids all feed into these pathways. The body can use foods such as apples, cheese, and guacamole as sources of energy. Carbohydrate digestion starts with enzymes that break complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. Glucose can enter glycolysis directly. Fructose and galactose must first be converted into sugars that are intermediates of the glycolytic pathway. Proteins are digested into amino acids.

introduction to cellular respiration

Cellular Respiration: ATP Production Steps

Cellular respiration is the process cells use to turn energy from food into ATP. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, stores energy in chemical bonds that can be released quickly when cells need it. Much of the energy released during respiration becomes heat, but some of it is captured to make ATP. This process depends on oxidation-reduction, or redox, reactions. In these reactions, oxidation means electron loss and reduction means electron gain. The electron carriers NAD+ and FAD, along with their...

The citric acid cycle is a key stage of aerobic respiration in cells. It is also called the Krebs cycle or the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Plants and animals use this oxygen-requiring pathway as part of cellular respiration. This cycle happens after glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation. Glycolysis makes two pyruvate molecules from each glucose molecule. During pyruvate oxidation, each pyruvate becomes acetyl-CoA, which is the input for the citric acid cycle. That means one glucose molecule...

outcomes of glycolysis

Glycolysis Products in Cellular Respiration

Glycolysis is the first step of cellular respiration and breaks glucose into smaller molecules. Cells use this process to pull energy from glucose over a series of chemical reactions. Cellular respiration can happen with oxygen or without oxygen. In both aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration, glycolysis makes a net gain of two pyruvate molecules, two NADH molecules, and two ATP molecules. Four ATP molecules are produced, but two ATP molecules are used earlier in the pathway. Glycolysis...

atp yield

How Cellular Respiration Makes ATP

Cellular respiration makes ATP from glucose in several stages. The process usually produces 30 to 32 ATP per glucose molecule. Most of that ATP comes from oxidative phosphorylation and the electron transport chain, while 4 ATP are made earlier, with 2 from glycolysis and 2 from the citric acid cycle. The electron transport chain, or ETC, sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane. It has four main protein complexes and ATP synthase, the enzyme that makes ATP. NADH and FADH2 deliver electrons to...

key terms and concepts

Learn the main products of the citric acid cycle, including CO2, NADH, FADH2, and ATP, and see how they support later ATP production.

Citric Acid Cycle Output in Cellular Respiration | JoVE K12

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Next Generation Science Standards

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ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

HS-LS2-3

Florida Department of Education

SC.912.L.18

SC.912.L.18.8

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BIO.11

BIO.11.A

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Citric Acid Cycle Output in Cellular Respiration

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