Multiple Choice
In aerobic cellular respiration, which process directly yields the greatest number of ATP molecules per molecule of glucose in eukaryotic cells?
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Review 4: Amino Acid Oxidation, Oxidative Phosphorylation, & Photophosphorylation
Oxidative Phosphorylation 1
Multiple Choice
In aerobic cellular respiration, which of the following processes generates the most ATP per glucose molecule?
A
Conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
B
Substrate-level phosphorylation during glycolysis
C
Substrate-level phosphorylation in the citric acid cycle (e.g., succinyl-CoA synthetase)
D
Oxidative phosphorylation via the electron transport chain and ATP synthase
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Understand the overall process of aerobic cellular respiration, which includes glycolysis, conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation via the electron transport chain (ETC) and ATP synthase.
Step 2: Identify the ATP yield from substrate-level phosphorylation events, such as those occurring during glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. These steps produce a small, direct amount of ATP or GTP per glucose molecule.
Step 3: Recognize that the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex does not directly produce ATP but generates NADH, which carries electrons to the ETC.
Step 4: Understand that oxidative phosphorylation uses the NADH and FADH2 produced in earlier steps to drive the electron transport chain, creating a proton gradient that powers ATP synthase to produce a large amount of ATP.
Step 5: Conclude that oxidative phosphorylation generates the most ATP per glucose molecule compared to substrate-level phosphorylation or the pyruvate dehydrogenase step, due to the efficient use of electron carriers and the proton motive force.
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