cellular respiration: Quick Facts

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Oct. 22, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	tissue respiration • cell respiration

Photos and Videos

Diagram showing the process of cellular respiration, where glucose and oxygen are converted into carbon dioxide and water, with energy released as indicated by red arrows. The chemical equation C6H12O6 plus 6O2 yields 6CO2 plus 6H2O is displayed.

Diagram showing the steps of ATP production in a cell, with glucose entering through the cell membrane, glycolysis in the cytoplasm, and further ATP generated inside a mitochondrion through the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

Diagram showing the steps of glycolysis, beginning with glucose and ATP, progressing through intermediates like glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate, and ending with the production of pyruvate, ATP, and NADH. A detailed inset highlights the enzymatic reactions and energy transfers from glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to pyruvate.

Diagram of the eight-step tricarboxylic acid cycle showing the sequence of metabolites from acetyl CoA through citrate, isocitrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinyl CoA, succinate, fumarate, malate, and oxaloacetate, with arrows indicating the flow of reactions and production of ATP, NADH, FADH2, and CO2.

Diagram of the electron transport chain in cellular respiration, showing protein complexes in a mitochondrial membrane, the movement of electrons and protons, and the roles of ubiquinone and cytochrome C.

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Topics

aerobic oxidation glyoxylate cycle Tricarboxylic acid cycle Cytochrome glycolysis reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle Pasteur effect energy flow Catabolism fermentation

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Key People

Otto Warburg, c. 1931.

Otto Warburg

German biochemist