During cellular respiration Four total ATP are produced when pyruvic acid is created. What else is produced as a result of this reaction?

1 answer

In addition to the production of four ATP molecules, several other products are produced during the conversion of pyruvic acid during cellular respiration. These include:

1. NADH: For each pyruvic acid molecule, three molecules of NADH are produced. NADH is an electron carrier that carries high-energy electrons to the electron transport chain, where they are used to generate more ATP.

2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2): One molecule of CO2 is released as a waste product during the conversion of each pyruvic acid molecule.

3. Acetyl-CoA: Pyruvic acid is converted into acetyl-CoA before entering the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle). Acetyl-CoA is a high-energy compound that enters the citric acid cycle to generate more ATP.

It is important to note that the production of ATP and other products during cellular respiration is a complex process that occurs in different stages (glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, and the citric acid cycle) within the cell.