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Ch.22 Carbohydrate Metabolism
McMurry - Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 8th Edition
McMurry8th EditionFundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological ChemistryISBN: 9780134015187Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksMcMurry 8th EditionCh.22 Carbohydrate MetabolismProblem 47c
Chapter 22, Problem 47c

How many moles of ATP are produced by phosphorylation in the following?
c. Catabolism of 1 mol of acetyl-CoA in the citric acid cycle

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1
Understand the context: The citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle or TCA cycle) is a central metabolic pathway that generates energy. When 1 mole of acetyl-CoA enters the cycle, it produces reduced coenzymes (NADH and FADH2) and GTP, which are later used to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
Determine the products of the citric acid cycle for 1 mole of acetyl-CoA: Each cycle produces 3 moles of NADH, 1 mole of FADH2, and 1 mole of GTP (which is equivalent to 1 mole of ATP).
Calculate the ATP yield from NADH: Each mole of NADH generates approximately 2.5 moles of ATP during oxidative phosphorylation. Multiply the 3 moles of NADH by 2.5 to determine the ATP contribution from NADH.
Calculate the ATP yield from FADH2: Each mole of FADH2 generates approximately 1.5 moles of ATP during oxidative phosphorylation. Multiply the 1 mole of FADH2 by 1.5 to determine the ATP contribution from FADH2.
Add the ATP contributions: Sum the ATP from NADH, FADH2, and the 1 mole of GTP (equivalent to ATP) to find the total number of moles of ATP produced from the catabolism of 1 mole of acetyl-CoA in the citric acid cycle.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Citric Acid Cycle

The citric acid cycle, also known as the Krebs cycle, is a series of enzymatic reactions that occur in the mitochondria. It plays a crucial role in cellular respiration by oxidizing acetyl-CoA to produce energy-rich molecules, including NADH and FADH2, which are later used in the electron transport chain to generate ATP.
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ATP Production

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the primary energy currency of the cell. During the citric acid cycle, each acetyl-CoA molecule contributes to the production of ATP through substrate-level phosphorylation, where a phosphate group is directly transferred to ADP, resulting in ATP formation.
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Mole Concept

The mole is a fundamental unit in chemistry that quantifies the amount of substance. One mole corresponds to approximately 6.022 x 10^23 entities (atoms, molecules, etc.). Understanding the mole concept is essential for calculating the number of moles of ATP produced from the catabolism of acetyl-CoA in the citric acid cycle.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Lactate can be converted into pyruvate by the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase and the coenzyme NAD+. Write the reaction in the standard biochemical format, using a curved arrow to show the involvement of NAD+.

Textbook Question

How many moles of ATP are produced by phosphorylation in the following?

a. Glycolysis of 1 mol of glucose

Textbook Question

How many moles of ATP are produced by phosphorylation in the following?

b. Aerobic conversion of 1 mol of pyruvate to 1 mol of acetyl-CoA

Textbook Question

Differentiate between blood sugar levels and resulting symptoms in hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Textbook Question

Review the 10 steps in glycolysis and then answer the following questions:

c. Which step is a dehydration?

Textbook Question

Why does glycogenolysis use fewer steps than the reverse process, glycogenesis? Which process uses less energy?