Cell Respiration

A collection of flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to cell respiration.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the molecule that distributes energy within cells.

Aerobic respiration

A metabolic process that requires oxygen to produce ATP from glucose.

Anaerobic respiration

A metabolic process that occurs without oxygen, producing ATP and byproducts such as lactic acid or ethanol.

NAD

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a carrier of hydrogen that undergoes oxidation by removal of hydrogen during cell respiration.

Glycolysis

The first part of cellular respiration where glucose is converted to pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH.

Chemiosmosis

The process of ATP synthesis that utilizes the proton gradient generated by the electron transport chain.

Proton gradient

A difference in proton concentration across the mitochondrial membrane, used to drive ATP synthesis.

Krebs cycle

A series of reactions in aerobic respiration that produces ATP, NADH, and FADH2 from acetyl CoA.

Lactic acid fermentation

A process where pyruvate is converted into lactate to regenerate NAD under anaerobic conditions.

Electron transport chain (ETC)

A series of proteins embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane that transfer electrons and create a proton gradient.

ATP synthesis

The process of forming ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate, utilizing energy from a proton gradient.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

Direct generation of ATP by transferring a phosphate group to ADP during glycolysis and the Krebs cycle.

Carbohydrate substrates

Compounds, such as glucose, that are utilized in cellular respiration for energy production.

Oxygen as terminal electron acceptor

Oxygen's role in aerobic respiration as the final acceptor of electrons in the electron transport chain, forming water.

Lactate

A byproduct of anaerobic respiration in humans, produced when pyruvate is reduced.

Fermentation

Metabolic process that regenerates NAD+ from reduced NADH, allowing glycolysis to continue under anaerobic conditions.