Cellular Respiration

     

       Cellular Respiration is not the act of breathing, it actually has nothing to do with our lunges. In fact our metabolism is the entire process of breaking down food molecules through out the body. But the intermediary metabolism is the process of chemical reactions that occur in the cell, and the entire process of cellular respiration mostly occurs in the mitochondria. When we digest food, the food molecules provide the chemicals necessary for energy exertion. And the energy that is exerted from the cell is essential for the processes of life. 

Glycolysis Process

       There are two phases of the metabolism: a catabolic and anabolic phase. The catabolism phase is the process of breaking down larger molecules into smaller molecules, resulting in an endergonic reaction (releases heat/energy). The anabolism phase is when smaller molecules become larger and they release only a little bit of heat/energy, resulting in an exergonic reaction. When energy is released by the catabolic reactions it drives the anabolic reactions, which results in the storing of ATP. 

Krebs Cycle

         There are three metabolic processes to which cellular respiration can be broken down. The first process is Glycolysis, where a 6-carbone molecule is broken down into two 3-carbon molecules called pyruvate. This process also results in 2 ATP molecules and 2 NADH Molecules. The second process is the Krebs Cycle. The Krebs Cycle generates chemical energy through the oxidation of pyruvate. Pyruvate loses carbon dioxide to form the a 3-carbon molecule called acetyl-CoA which then, through the citric acid cycle of citrate, isocitate, ketoglutarate, succinyl, succinate, fumate, malate, and oxaloacetate, is oxidized into carbon dioxide releasing chemical energy and capturing it in the form of NADH, FADH2, and ATP. It then undergoes Electronic transportation oxidization, which consists mainly of proteins that results in the creation of H2O, through O2 being one of the final electron acceptors.  Oxidization is when a compound loses electrons. But a compound can also be reduced by gaining electrons because electrons have a negative charge reducing the compounds original charge. 

The Cellular Respiration Formula 

       The formula for cellular respiration is the opposite for that of the reaction of photosynthesis. For where one of our products is CO2, the plants absorb it creating one of their products of in fact O2, which results in a perfect cycle. Providing each of us the necessary chemicals for us to survive. 

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/celres.html

http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/cellresp/oxidative.html