Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Is oxygen consumed in glycolysis?

crystal grower - 8-5-2018 at 10:07

I've started studying the metabolic pathways and as I was going through the glycolysis reaction chain I found something I can not explain.
In the step where glyceralaldehyde phosphate is oxidized to 1,3-Bisphosphoglycerate, it looks like it has gained an oxygen. Glycolysis should be an anaerobic process though.
Where am I mistaken?




[Edited on 8-5-2018 by crystal grower]

IMG_20180508_200829.jpg - 1.5MB

[Edited on 8-5-2018 by crystal grower]

VSEPR_VOID - 8-5-2018 at 10:27

I believe there is a zero net use of oxygen in glycolysis. Pyruvic acid has the formula C3H4O3, and two pyruvates are produced in glycolysis. This means that no oxygen or carbon, relative to the amount introduced by glucose, is used in the reaction. The net oxygen use comes from the removal of hydrogen at the electron transport chain after it is used to create a gradient for ATP synthase.

crystal grower - 8-5-2018 at 10:43

Thanks, I understand now.