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

A. Water
B. Heat
C. Oxygen
D. Sugar

1 answer

During cellular respiration, when pyruvic acid is produced from glucose through glycolysis, a total of four ATP molecules are generated, along with two molecules of NADH. However, in this specific context of pyruvic acid creation through glycolysis, the most relevant option is:

B. Heat

While the reaction does not produce water, oxygen, or sugar directly during the conversion of glucose to pyruvic acid, heat is often released as a byproduct of metabolic processes, including cellular respiration.