9.3 citric acid cycle: acetyl coenzyme A

Question 1

how does pyruvate enter the mitochondria

Answer 1

active transport

-then it is turned into acetyl Coenzyme A (Acetyl CoA)

Question 2

step 1

Answer 2

the carboxyl group of pyruvate is given off as CO2

because it is already fully oxidized and has little chemical energy left

Question 3

step 2

Answer 3

• the rest of pyruvate is oxidized to form acetate

- the extracted electrons are transferred to NAD+ from an enzyme to make NADH

Question 4

step 3

Answer 4

coenzyme A (CoA) derived from vitamin B

• -is attached to acetate by unstable bond
• makes the acetyl group very reactive