Aerobic cellular respiration is a pivotal process in which organisms carry out in order to sustain life. It is characterized by the release of energy from organic compounds by means of chemical oxidation within the mitochondria of the cell. The reactants are glucose and oxygen, and after a series of complex steps, the products of carbon dioxide, water, and ATP + heat are released. Thus, cellular respiration is an exergonic process, since heat energy is released in order to do cellular work. The overall process can be encapsulated by the following equation: C6H12O6 + CO2 6CO2+ 6H2O+ 586 kilocalories of energy/mole of glucose oxidized. This reaction seems very straightforward, however there are numerous enzyme-mediated reactions that occur within it that are not so perceptible from the simplified equation. Cellular respiration consists of three major stages: The first is Glycolysis; (occurring in the cytosol) in which chemical energy is harvested by oxidizing glucose into two 3 carbon molecules of pyruvate, and thus producing a net of 2 ATP molecules through substrate-level phosphorylation, as well as a net of 2 NADH molecules. Subsequently, the Krebs Cycle commences after 2 pyruvate molecules are converted to 2 Acetyl CoA molecules in the intermembrane space of the mitochondria. During the Krebs Cycle (occurring in the mitochondrial matrix)4 CO2 molecules are released, 1 ATP molecule is formed (for each turn of the cycle), and the reduced forms of 6 NADH and 2 FADH carry the electrons to the next step: the Electron Transport Chain. This occurs in the inner membrane of the mitochondria, and consists of many electron carriers that pass electrons (donated by NADH and FADH2) along through a series of redox reactions. At the end of the chain, oxygen acts as a final electron acceptor and it reduced them to form water. A proton motive force, or H+ gradient,…