Unit 9.1: Cellular Respiration and the Role of the Mitochondrion

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on cellular respiration, metabolic pathways, and mitochondrial structures based on Lesson 9.1.

Glucose

A high-energy 6-carbon sugar with the chemical formula $C_6H_{12}O_6$ that serves as the primary source of energy in humans.

Glycogen

The stored form of excess glucose in the liver, produced with the help of insulin.

Insulin

A hormone produced by the pancreas that aids in storing excess glucose as glycogen and enables cells to absorb glucose from the blood.

Diabetes

A condition characterized by a lack of insulin or resistance to insulin, resulting in high levels of blood sugar.

Cellular Respiration

A process involving the oxidation and reduction of molecules to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate ($ATP$).

Oxidation

The chemical process in which a molecule loses electrons.

Reduction

The chemical process in which a molecule gains electrons.

Aerobic Respiration

The process of breaking down organic nutrients from food to produce energy in the presence of oxygen.

Anaerobic Respiration

The process of breaking down glucose to produce energy without using oxygen, utilizing alternative final electron acceptors such as nitrate, sulfur, or carbon dioxide.

Glycolysis

The initial step of cellular respiration in which glucose is broken down into pyruvate without using oxygen.

Pyruvate

A 3-carbon molecule produced as a result of breaking down glucose during glycolysis.

Krebs Cycle

A stage of aerobic respiration taking place in the mitochondrial matrix where molecules are oxidized and electrons are captured by electron carriers.

Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide ($NAD^+$)

An electron carrier molecule that picks up electrons during the oxidation steps of cellular respiration.

Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide ($FAD$)

An electron carrier molecule that accepts electrons during the processes of cellular respiration.

Fermentation

An anaerobic process where glucose undergoes glycolysis to form pyruvate, which is then converted into lactic acid or alcohol without entering the Krebs cycle or electron transport chain.

Methanogens

Prokaryotic archaea that perform anaerobic respiration using carbon dioxide as their final electron acceptor instead of oxygen.

Mitochondria

Organelles that act as the primary sites of energy production in cellular respiration.

Intermembrane Space

The region located between the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes that holds protons pumped out of the matrix.

Mitochondrial Matrix

The innermost compartment of the mitochondria where $ATP$ synthesis and the Krebs cycle occur.

Cristae

Folds of the inner mitochondrial membrane that increase the available surface area for $ATP$ production.