How Cells Obtain Energy 4.3 Citric Acid Cycle and Oxidative Phosphorylation

Question 1

acetyl CoA

Answer 1

the combination of an acetyl group derived from pyruvic acid and coenzyme A which is made from pantothenic acid (a B-group vitamin)

Question 2

ATP synthase

Answer 2

a membrane-embedded protein complex that regenerates ATP from ADP with energy from protons diffusing through it

Question 3

chemiosmosis

Answer 3

the movement of hydrogen ions down their electrochemical gradient across a membrane through ATP synthase to generate ATP

Question 4

citric acid cycle

Answer 4

a series of enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions of central importance in all living cells that harvests the energy in carbon-carbon bonds of sugar molecules to generate ATP; the citric acid cycle is an aerobic metabolic pathway because it requires oxygen in later reactions to proceed

Question 5

electron transport chain

Answer 5

a series of four large, multi-protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane that accepts electrons from donor compounds and harvests energy from a series of chemical reactions to generate a hydrogen ion gradient across the membrane

Question 6

oxidative phosphorylation

Answer 6

the production of ATP by the transfer of electrons down the electron transport chain to create a proton gradient that is used by ATP synthase to add phosphate groups to ADP molecules