2. One molecule of which of the following contains the greatest amount of energy? a. glucose b. ATP c. pyruvic acid d. lactic acid One molecule of glucose, under aerobic conditions, can generate 36 molecules of ATP. Remember that glucose is split into two molecules of pyruvic acid (pyruvate) during glycolysis. Thus, each pyruvate molecule must have less energy than one glucose molecule. In addition, pyruvate is slightly more oxidized than glucose - remember that 2ATP plus 2NADH2 are also produced in glycolysis. Of the molecules listed, ATP contains the least amount of chemical energy. Each glucose molecule can generate 36-38 molecules of ATP. |
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