Important Vocabulary
- Fermentation-a partial degradation of sugars that occurs without the use of oxygen.
- Cellular Respiration-an efficient metabolic pathway that uses oxygen in order to create ATP for energy in an organism.
- Redox (Oxidation-Reduction) Reactions-a reaction where a substance goes through oxidation, or the loss of electrons, and another substance goes through reduction, or the addition of electrons.
- Electron Transport Chain-a chain that triggers the fall of electrons to oxygen through many energy-releasing steps.
- Glycolysis-the first part of Cellular Respiration that breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate.
- Krebs Cycle-the second part of Cellular Respiration that completes the breakdown of glucose by oxidizing pyruvate into carbon dioxide.
- Oxidative Phosphorylation-the third part of Cellular Respiration where the electron transport chain accepts electrons from the first two stages and releases energy as electrons are passed down the chain by means of redox reactions.
- Acetyl CoA-acetyl coenzyme A, a compound made during the transport of pyruvate between Glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle.
- Alcohol Fermentation-fermentation where pyruvate is turned into ethanol alcohol by releasing carbon dioxide from the pyruvate and then reducing NADH to ethanol.
- Lactic Acid Fermentation-fermentation where pyruvate is turned into lactate by NADH directly, not involving a release of carbon dioxide at all.