Step 1 Energy input phase.

The cell uses 2 molecules of ATP as a source of energy to do some chemical rearrangements resulting in a 6 carbon sugar called fructose 1,6 biphosphate. The ATP here serves as activation energy. Generally in cellular respiration when molecules need to be rearranged ATP needs to be used. In this case the chemical rearrangements result in a molecule which can be easily split into two three carbon molecules. Step 2 Breaking the fructose 1,6 biphosphate into to two three carbon molecules called PGAL The PGAL is a molecule from which energy can easily be harvested. Step 3 Energy harvesting stage 1. 2 ADP are used to make two molecules of ATP. Step 4 Energy harvesting stage 2. Two more ADP and 2 NAD+ molecules are used to make two molecules of NADH and two more molecules of ATP. This step also yields two pyruvate molecules. The pyruvate still have most of the original energy that was found in the original glucose molecule and the point of the of aerobic cellular respiration will be to harvest as much of that energy as possible!

The pathway: Glucose > Glucose-6-Phosphate (-1 ATP) The hydrogen on the alcohol on carbon 6 of glucose is replaced by a phosphate group from the ATP by Hexokinase. Glucose-6-phosphate > Fructose-6-phosphate Phosphoglucose isomerase changes the glucose structure to fructose by swapping the C=O and alcohol groups on carbons 1&2. Fructose-6-phosphate > Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (-1 ATP) Phosphofructokinase replaces the hydrogen on the alcohol group of C1 with another phosphate group. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate > GLAP + DHAP Aldolase splits the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate into two 3 carbon molecules, dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. DHAP > GLAP Triose phosphate isomerase converts DHAP into GLAP by changing the structural configuration. From here on there are two molecules at a time (2 x 3 carbon rather than 1 x 6 carbon) and so all ATP & NADH figures have been doubled. GLAP > 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (-2 Pi) (+2 NADH) Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase replaces a H on C1 with an O and phosphate group. 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate > 3-phosphoglycerate (+2 ATP) Phosphoglycerate kinase removes the phosphate group from C1. 3-phosphoglycerate > 2-phosphoglycerate Phosphoglycerate mutase switches C2 & C3. 2-phosphoglycerate > 2-phosphoenolpyruvate (+2 H2O) Enolase removes the alcohol on C3, forming a C=C between C2 & C3. 2-phosphoenolpyruvate > Pyruvate (+2 ATP) Pyruvate kinase removes the phosphate group from C2, double bond C=O alters structure below C2. Balancesheet: 2 ATP + 2 NADH however 1 NADH produces 3 ATP when oxidised by the electron transport chain so glycolysis indirectly produces another 6 ATP.This means glycolysis has a net ATP production of 8 ATP. Anaerobic Respiration In anaerobic conditions we find only 2 ATPs are produced for every glucose molecule converted to 2 lactate molecules. This is because the cell needs to reoxidise the NADH, and one such way of doing this is reducing the pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase with the NADH, producing lactate. All pyruvate must be converted to lactate to allow ATP synthesis to continue; and the lack of oxygen means no energy is gained from the oxidation of NADH.

Cdk level