Cellular Respiration and ATP Production

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to cellular respiration, glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and ATP production.

Glycolysis

The first step in cellular respiration that splits glucose to form two molecules of pyruvic acid.

Krebs Cycle

Also known as the citric acid cycle, it involves a series of redox reactions and decarboxylation processes that produce ATP and reduced cofactors.

Electron Transport Chain

A sequence of electron carriers that transfer electrons from NADH and FADH2, using energy to pump protons across a membrane.

Proton Motive Force

The potential energy stored in a proton gradient across a membrane, used to drive ATP synthesis.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The process by which ATP is produced using the energy released from the electron transport chain.

Chemiosmosis

The movement of protons back across a membrane through ATP synthase, which generates ATP.

Aerobic Respiration

A form of cellular respiration that uses oxygen as the final electron acceptor and can yield a maximum of 38 ATP per glucose.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that converts sugars to acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen to sustain ATP production.

NADH

The reduced form of NAD+, a coenzyme that carries electrons to the electron transport chain.

FADH2

The reduced form of FAD, another coenzymatic electron carrier that contributes to ATP production in the electron transport chain.

Redox Reactions

Chemical reactions that involve the transfer of electrons, where oxidation (loss of electrons) and reduction (gain of electrons) occur.

Substrate Level Phosphorylation

The direct production of ATP by the transfer of a phosphate group from a substrate to ADP.

Coenzyme

A non-protein compound that assists enzyme function, such as NAD+ and FAD in cellular respiration.

ATP Synthase

The enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of ADP to ATP using the energy from protons flowing through it.

Anaerobic Respiration

A form of respiration that occurs without oxygen, using alternative electron acceptors for ATP production.