SE Unit 3 Topic 3 Notes- Cellular Respiration (2)

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells harvest chemical energy stored in organic molecules and use it to generate ATP.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the energy currency of cells that powers many metabolic processes.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that generates ATP in the absence of oxygen, allowing glycolysis to proceed.

Glycolysis

The biochemical pathway that breaks down glucose into two pyruvate molecules, generating energy in the form of ATP and NADH.

Krebs Cycle

Also known as the citric acid cycle, a series of reactions in the mitochondrial matrix that produces ATP, NADH, and FADH2 while releasing CO2.

Electron Transport Chain (ETC)

A sequence of membrane proteins that shuttle electrons during cellular respiration to drive ATP synthesis and produce water.

Chemiosmosis

The process by which ATP is produced using the energy from a proton (H+) gradient across a membrane.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The process of ATP generation that occurs during the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.

Anaerobic Respiration

A type of respiration that generates ATP using an electron transport chain in the absence of oxygen, often using sulfates or nitrates as final electron acceptors.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

A type of fermentation in which pyruvate is reduced by NADH to produce lactate, utilized by muscle cells during oxygen scarcity.

Alcohol Fermentation

A metabolic process in which pyruvate is converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide, common in yeast and some bacteria.

Oxidation

The process of losing electrons; in cellular respiration, glucose is oxidized to release energy.

Reduction

The process of gaining electrons; in cellular respiration, NAD+ is reduced to NADH.

Proton Gradient

A difference in proton (H+) concentration across a membrane, which drives ATP synthesis during chemiosmosis.

Exergonic Reaction

A chemical reaction that releases energy, such as the transfer of electrons in the electron transport chain.

Decoupling

The process in which oxidative phosphorylation is separated from electron transport, generating heat instead of ATP.