Cellular respiration is a metabolic process that occurs in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells. Respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis, which uses energy from light to create glucose molecules. Respiration catabolizes glucose to produce ATP, the energy molecule used to power most cellular functions. The general equation for respiration is C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy. If respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen it is aerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration …showed first 75 words of 272 total…

…showed last 75 words of 272 total…cycle, like glycolysis, contains many steps and produces many products before it produces its end products of NADH and FADH2. The Krebs cycle also produces the CO2 that animals exhale. The last component of aerobic respiration is oxidative phosphorylation. This process yields the most usable energy for the cell. The electrons from NADH and FADH2 move down an electron transport chain and the energy lost by the electrons is used to phosphorylate ADP to ATP.