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What pathway does cellular respiration begin with?
Posted November 6, 2023

Answer

Cellular respiration begins with the process of glycolysis. Glycolysis is an anaerobic and aerobic pathway and occurs within the cytoplasm of cells. This pathway catalyzes 1 glucose molecule and generates 2 pyruvate molecules, 2 ATP, and 2 NADH. The chemical reaction for glycolysis is Glucose + 2 NAD+ + 2ADP+ 2 PI→ 2 pyruvate + 2 NADH +2 H+ + 2 ATP + 2 H20. The hydroxyl groups in the reaction permit the phosphorylation of the glucose molecule. Hexokinase catalyzes the phosphorylation of 6 carbon molecules, using ATP as the source of the phosphate. This subsequently yields glucose-phosphate, which is a more reactive form of glucose.