Which stage of aerobic respiration produces the largest number of ATP molecules per glucose?

  • A. Glycolysis
  • B. The Krebs cycle
  • C. Oxidative phosphorylation in the electron transport chain
  • D. The conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA

Explanation

Glycolysis nets 2 ATP and the Krebs cycle 2 more directly, but the reoxidation of NADH and FADH2 by the electron transport chain yields about 32 to 34 ATP, the vast majority of the total. The other stages are minor contributors by comparison.

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