Does the breakdown of glucose give off or require energy atp

Does the breakdown of glucose give off or require energy (atp)? Does the process involve building a new molecule or the breakdown?

Solution

Breakdown of glucose leads to produce pyruvate aerobically. The process of breaking down of glucose to pyruvate is termed as glycolysis. Glycolysis takes place in cytoplasm. During this process of glycolysis, not only release of energy but also utilization of energy in the form of ATP takes place. Once the pyruvate gets formed, the pyruvate enters mitochondria where reductive molecules NADH and FADH2 gets formed through a process termed as Krebs cycle. Through oxidative phosphorylation, these reductive energy molecules release ATP along with H2O, CO2 within mitochondria. Through aerobic cellular respiration, 38 total ATP molecules get formed, and out of these 2 ATP molecules get utilized. The process involve breakdown of six carbon atom glucose into two molecules of three carbon atom pyruvate and breakdown of pyruvate into CO2. So, glycolysis is a catabolic process where breakdown of glucose releases energy.