is a process that begins with glucose, then moves on to the Krebs cycle (a.k.a. Citric acid
cycle), and finally end with the Electron Transport Chain (ETC). Without this sequence of
processes, there would be no life on Earth.
Cellular Respiration begins with glycolysis. Glycolysis includes glucose, hence the
“glyco”. “Lysis” is the process of breaking down, therefore Glycolysis is the process of
breaking down glucose. To start off, a glucose molecule is too large to fit into the inner
membrane of the mitochondria, so it enter the Investment Phase. In the Investment Phase,
glucose is broken down into 2 pyruvates using enzymes, which speed …show more content…
That way, the pyruvates are
small enough to fit through the cell membrane and enter the cell. This is a very important
process for the cell, and without Glycolysis, the rest of the process of Cellular Respiration
would not work.
The second step of Cellular Respiration is the Krebs Cycle, also known as the Citric
Acid Cycle. In this cycle, the pyruvates that resulted from glycolysis are moved from the
cytoplasm and through the membrane of the mitochondria. The Krebs Cycle takes place in
the matrix of the mitochondria. When oxygen is present in this process, it is called aerobic,
and a CCC pyruvate moves into the cycle. If not, the pyruvate must go through lactic acid
fermentation, and the absence of oxygen is called anaerobic. Enzymes are used to speed
up this process, and included to the CCC pyruvate is NABH and CO2. Next, the pyruvate is
called CCCCC, and then an enzyme is used to speed up the process and the CCCCC
loses 1 CO2 and a NABH, making it CCCC. The same things happens again further in the
cycle where an enzyme speeds up the process and a NABH and CO2 is lost. To sum it up,
the Krebs Cycle is a huge, intricate part of Cellular