Cellular Respiration Process

Cellular respiration is the process our cells use to turn food into energy.

It involves glucose from food and oxygen from the air we breathe. These reactants produce ATP, the cell's energy currency, carbon dioxide, which is exhaled as waste, and water.

The process begins with glycolysis, which takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. Here, glucose is broken down into two smaller molecules called pyruvate.

This step doesn’t require oxygen and produces a small amount of ATP, the molecule that stores energy for the body.

Next, the pyruvate moves into the mitochondria, the cell's powerhouse.

Here, pyruvate is further broken down through a series of reactions called the Krebs cycle, releasing carbon dioxide. The energy released during these reactions is transferred to special carrier molecules like NADH and FADH₂.

In the final step, in the presence of oxygen, these carrier molecules deliver their stored energy to the electron transport chain, producing more ATP molecules.

Together, the three steps of cellular respiration can produce 36-38 ATP from one molecule of glucose.