Cellular respiration is the process in which the chemical bonds of energy-rich molecules such as glucose are converted into energy usable for life processes. Oxidation of organic material¡ªin a bonfire, for example¡ªis an exothermic reaction that releases a large amount of energy rather quickly. The equation for the oxidation of glucose is:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 ¡ú 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy released
Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that is found in all living organisms and does not require oxygen. The process converts one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, and makes energy in the form of two molecules of ATP. Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. The overall reaction can be expressed this way:

Glucose + 2 NAD+ + 2 ATP + 2 Pi ¡ú 2 NADH + 2 pyruvate + 4 ATP + 2 H2O + 4 H+
The individual steps of the conversion of glucose into pyruvate are (in brief):

A glucose molecule from the hydrolysis of starch or glycogen is phosphorylated using one ATP......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Glycolysis
Approximate Word Count: 1550
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Glycolysis, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!