How does a cell produce energy?

The process through which cells convert organic molecules into energy is called “respiration”. This process occurs in every cell of every organism and is vital to its survival.

Usually, respiration is described by the simple formula: C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + ENERGY The formula tells us that the process uses oxygen to break down the glucose into carbon dioxide and water, while also creating energy.

In reality, respiration is a slightly more complicated process that can be divided into 3 phases: glycolysis krebs cycle electron transport chain

(we can explore each phase into more detail later) In glycolysis, glucose is divided into 2 smaller molecules called pyruvic acid. The pyruvic acid then enters the krebs cycle, where it is deprived of hydrogen atoms. Finally the hydrogen produced in the krebs cycle is used in the electron chain reaction to produce energy.

The energy produced in respiration is stored in special molecules called “adenosine triphosphate”, or ATP. In particular, it is in the bonds that keep the molecule together that the energy is stored; whenever the cell needs energy for other processes, the bonds in an ATP molecule can be broken to liberate the necessary energy. For each complete cycle of the three phases of respiration, 36 ATP molecules are produced.