Produce a summary of energy inputs and outputs for both anaerobic and aerobic respiration. Calculate and compare the relative efficiency of the processes.

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Biochemistry

Assignment 7

Task 4 – Produce a summary of energy inputs and outputs for both anaerobic and aerobic respiration.  Calculate and compare the relative efficiency of the processes.

Respiration takes place in every living cell, and provides the energy required for day-to-day living.  Glucose is the primary fuel, but must be converted to a more useable form before it can go on to make the fuel, ATP, that is required.  So to convert this glucose in to a more useable form Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) must be added.  As the glucose is changed and changed many times again, the ATP that is put into the respiration process in turn produces more adenosine tri-phosphate.  Respiration not only produces ATP, but also NADH2 (Reduced Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide) and FADH2 (Reduced Flavin- adenine dinucleotide), which when placed in the electron transport chain, also produce ATP in varying quantities.  Respiration is a redox reaction; this is short for reduction and oxidation.  Oxidation reactions may involve the addition of oxygen or the removal of hydrogen, respiration requires both, making this an oxidation reaction.  When a molecule is oxidised it looses electrons, and when it is reduced it gains electrons, the loss of electrons means a loss of energy, and gaining electrons in reduction is a gain of energy.  When NAD and FAD pick up hydrogen they are reduced this means they gain electrons and therefore gain energy as well; this means that when they move down the electron transport chain the extra electrons go on to form ATP in the following way.  The proteins in the electron transport chain accept an electron (reduction is gain) and so becomes reduced, and then lose it again (oxidation is loss), and become oxidised, energy from the electron is lost at each transfer powering active transport of hydrogen ions across the inner mitochondrial membrane.  The result of this is there are more hydrogen ions in the outer mitochondrial space than in the inner mitochondrial space.  An equilibrium tries to form between the inner and outer mitochondrial space by diffusion of Hydrogen ions from the high concentration in the outer compartment to the lower concentration in the inner compartment.  As these hydrogen ions move through the middle of the stalked granules which hold the ATPase, enzymes that generate ATP, enough energy is released to form new molecules of ATP.  The more electrons that can make the energy to start active transport of H+, the more ATP can be produced.  

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ANAEROBIC – without Oxygen.

The only section of the respiration process that does not involve oxygen is glycolysis, this happens in the cell cytoplasm converting glucose, through many stages to pyruvate.  In this section two ATP’s are required, and four are produced, so this is a net gain of 2 ATP’s.  2 NADH2 are also produced but cannot convert to ATP because there is no oxygen available.

AEROBIC – With Oxygen

Aerobic respiration also goes through glycolysis so producing a net gain of 2 ATP’s as well as 2NADH2, with the same inputs as anaerobic.  

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