Question

Fate of puruvic acid in aerobic respiration is decarboxylation or oxidation?

Answer 1

• Pyruvic acid (the final product of Glycolysis) under aerobic conditions (in Eukaryotes) is oxidised to CO2, ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), and NADH2 and FADH2 (which are further oxidised to release energy).

First of all, Pyruvic acid undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to form Acetyl Co. A (linking pathway to Krebs’ Cycle), where in all the Carbon is sequentially removed, and formed NADH2 and FADH2 with small energy in form of ATP and GTP (which later changes to ATP).

• Thereafter the NADH2 and FADH2 enters Electron Transport Chain(ETS) to undergo oxidation by several factors to form ATP (3ATP / NADH2 and 2ATP/FADH2).

Eventually ETS terminates at final step in which O2 plays a role, and we get around (36/38 ATP).

• Glycolysis takes place in cytoplasm, Krebs’ cycle in Matrix of Mitochondria and ETS on the inner membrane of Mitochondria.