Which 3 carbon molecule is one of the final products of glycolysis?
One of the final products of glycolysis is pyruvate, a 3-carbon molecule.
One of the final products of glycolysis is a molecule called pyruvate.
One of the final products of glycolysis is a three-carbon molecule called pyruvate. To understand this, let's break down the process of glycolysis.
Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and is the first step in cellular respiration. It is a metabolic pathway that converts glucose, a six-carbon molecule, into two molecules of pyruvate, a three-carbon molecule.
Here's how glycolysis works in more detail:
1. Glucose, a six-carbon molecule, is phosphorylated and split into two three-carbon molecules called glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P).
2. Each G3P molecule is oxidized, generating energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme). This results in the production of two molecules of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate.
3. 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate is converted into 3-phosphoglycerate, and then into 2-phosphoglycerate.
4. 2-phosphoglycerate undergoes dehydration to form phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP).
5. Finally, PEP is converted into pyruvate, a three-carbon molecule. In this step, one molecule of ATP is generated per molecule of PEP.
Hence, pyruvate is produced as one of the final products of glycolysis. It is important to note that further processing of pyruvate occurs in subsequent stages of cellular respiration, depending on whether oxygen is available or not.