Name: Aerobic Respiration in Plants
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 2 min 21 s
Description: Aerobic respiration is complete oxidation of glucose to produce energy in the presence of oxygen in the mitochondria. It is a complex process. Take a look at...

Question

Explain the mechanism of anaerobic respiration.

Accepted Answer

Respiration is a metabolic process in which high energy complex organic compound is broken down into simpler molecules with the release of energy. Anaerobic respiration takes place in the absence of oxygen because of which the substrate does not oxidise completely and ATP produced in anaerobic respiration is only two. Anaerobic respiration occurs in the cytoplasm of several bacteria, some fungi (yeast), muscle cells, etc., which gives carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol, and two ATP molecules.

Steps involved in anaerobic respiration are:

Glycolysis: Glycolysis refers to the splitting up of glucose molecule into three-carbon compounds called pyruvate in the absence of oxygen.

Glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆)+2 NAD+ 2 ADP+ 2 iP $\to$ Pyruvate (2CH₃-CO-COOH)+ 2NADH₂+2ATP

Decarboxylation - In this step, pyruvate undergoes decarboxylation by removal of CO₂ molecule. In this step, the pyruvate undergoes decarboxylation in the presence of the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase, which gives rise to acetaldehyde.

Pyruvate (2CH₃-CO-COOH) $\to$ Acetaldehyde (2CH₃-CHO)+2CO₂

Reduction: Acetaldehyde is then reduced to ethyl alcohol in the presence of enzyme dehydrogenase and reducing agent NADH₂.

Acetaldehyde (2CH₃-CHO)+2NADH₂ $\to$ Ethyl alcohol (2C₂H₅OH)+2NAD

Explain the mechanism of anaerobic respiration.

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