Aerobic Respiration

• Aerobic respiration is the series of chemical reactions occurring inside living cells that use oxygen to completely break down nutrient molecules (primarily glucose) to release energy for metabolic processes.
  • Since it completely oxidizes glucose, aerobic respiration releases a relatively large amount of energy compared to anaerobic respiration. Most of these reactions take place inside specialized cellular structures called mitochondria.

Equations of aerobic respiration

Word equation

$\text{glucose} + \text{oxygen} \rightarrow \text{carbon dioxide} + \text{water}$

Balanced chemical equation

$C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O$

Key components

• The reactants are glucose from digested food and oxygen which is absorbed by gas exchange surfaces.
• The products are carbon dioxide and water (both are metabolic waste products excreted by the body).
• Useful energy is transferred to the cell in the form of ATP.