Cellular Respiration | Definition, Equation, Cycle, Process, Reactants ...

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Oxidative phosphorylation

In the oxidative phosphorylation stage, each pair of hydrogen atoms removed from NADH and FADH2 provides a pair of electrons that—through the action of a series of iron-containing hemoproteins, the cytochromes—eventually reduces one atom of oxygen to form water. In 1951 it was discovered that the transfer of one pair of electrons to oxygen results in the formation of three molecules of ATP.

Key People: Otto Warburg (Show more) Related Topics: tricarboxylic acid cycle cytochrome glycolysis aerobic oxidation glyoxylate cycle (Show more) On the Web: Biology LibreTexts - Cellular Respiration (Feb. 19, 2026) (Show more) See all related content
Electron transport chain
Electron transport chainThe series of steps by which electrons flow to oxygen permits a gradual lowering of the energy of the electrons. This part of the oxidative phosphorylation stage is sometimes called the electron transport chain.(more)

Oxidative phosphorylation is the major mechanism by which the large amounts of energy in foodstuffs are conserved and made available to the cell. The series of steps by which electrons flow to oxygen permits a gradual lowering of the energy of the electrons. This part of the oxidative phosphorylation stage is sometimes called the electron transport chain. Some descriptions of cellular respiration that focus on the importance of the electron transport chain have changed the name of the oxidative phosphorylation stage to the electron transport chain.

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