Respiration

All the living organisms require energy. They obtain this energy from respiration. The word Respiration is derived from the Latin word Respirare which means to breathe. Respiration is a chemical process which breaks down simple food molecules such as glucose. Animals including humans digest food to produce these molecules, which are absorbed into the blood and then transported round the body. Multicellular organisms respire aerobically (using oxygen). This is absorbed by lungs, gills or the body surface and is usually distributed around the body by the circulatory system. Only when food molecules and oxygen are together inside the cells, the complex process of aerobic cell respiration begin.

Some important Definitions Respiration is the complex series of reactions occurring in all living cells,
which releases the energy in food and makes it available to the organisms.

Breathing is the mechanical process that supplies oxygen to the body to

drive respiration and that removes the carbon dioxide produced.

Aerobic respiration is the respiration that requires oxygen. Most organisms

respire aerobically: it releases a relatively large amount of energy.

Anaerobic respiration is the respiration without oxygen. some organisms

mainly bacteria can only respire anaerobically. Yeast for example, can turn to anaerobic respiration when there is no oxygen. Some animal tissues (e.g. muscle during strenuous exercise) and plant tissues (e.g. roots in water logged soil) are able to respire anaerobically, if circumstances demand it.

The Biochemistry of Aerobic respiration

The aerobic respiration of glucose is summarized by the following chemical equation:

C6H12O6 + 6O2
Glucose In words, Glucose + Oxygen

6CO2 + 6H2O + 2898 kJ of Energy

Carbon dioxide + Water + 2898 kJ of Energy

Aerobic respiration releases all the available energy within each glucose molecule; that is, it produces the same amount of energy that is released when glucose is burnt in oxygen gas.

The whole process involves a sequence of 50 separate reactions each catalyzed by a different enzyme. The result is a controlled release of energy which is more useful to the organism than a sudden explosive burst of energy.
All the hydrogen atoms contained within a glucose molecule combine with oxygen atoms to form water. The bulk of respiratory energy becomes available to the organism as hydrogen atoms are removed from glucose during respiration. This process is catalyzed by dehydrogenase enzymes. In other words, the oxygen which an aerobic organism has absorbed combines with hydrogen atoms from glucose or other foods to produce water, which may be excreted from the body.

Four main stages in glucose respiration

The complete process of aerobic respiration of glucose can be divided into four distinct processes: Glycolysis

Pyruvate oxidation
The Krebs Cycle The electron transport chain of reactions.

Fig: The Overall process of cell respiration, showing the order of the four main stages.

The overall process of cell respiration

Glycosis occurs in cytoplasm of the cell where glucose is

split into 2 molecules of pyruvate. Pyruvate oxidation takes place in the inner matrix ( inner

fluid) of mitochondria where pyruvate is converted into

acetyl CoA. Krebs cycle occurs in the matrix of mitochondria where

acetyl CoA drives a cycle of reactions which produces

hydrogen. Electron transport chain are located in the inner membrane of mitochondria, hydrogen drives a series of redox reactions which release enough energy to make ATP.

How organisms use energy

Fig:

Cells cannot use energy as soon as it is released from respiration: the energy is first used to build up a temporary energy store, which takes the form of a chemical called adenosine tri phosphate or ATP. Molecules of ATP are best thought of as Packets of energy. Respiration fills these ATP packets with energy and they are emptied when energy is needed anywhere in the body.

How does ATP release Energy

ATP stands for Adenosine Tri Phosphate. ATP are is relatively small soluble organic molecule. Because of its solubility and small size, ATP can be transported rapidly around cells and so can supply energy where it is needed. Metabolically active cell such as those in muscle, transport and break down many ATP molecules. When ATP loses a phosphate group to become ADP, adenosine diphosphate, the reaction is exergonic (it releases energy). The same amount of energy is released when ADP loses another phosphate group to become AMP (adenosine mono phosphate) ; less energy is released when the last phosphate group is lost. ATP is an important molecule in living systems because it can lose its terminal phosphate group readily, releasing enough energy to power biological processes without producing excess heat.

ATP

ADP + Pi + Energy (30.6kJ mol-1)

The Biochemistry of Anaerobic respiration

Anaerobic respiration differs from aerobic respiration in three important ways: Breaks down glucose in the absence of oxygen do not completely break down glucose into carbon dioxide and water but into intermediate substance such as lactic acid or alcohol releases far less energy than aerobic respiration.

Fig: Anaerobic respiration

The Biochemistry of Anaerobic respiration

Organisms which respire anaerobically are called anaerobes. Certain bacteria are complete anaerobes. They live permanently in conditions where no oxygen exists and rely entirely upon anaerobic respiration for energy. In anaerobic respiration, glucose is broken down into pyruvate. Animals and some bacteria convert pyruvate into lactate by a simple reduction reaction. In contrast, plants and fungi such as yeast convert pyruvate to ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. In animals, vigorous exercise leads to anaerobic respiration in the muscles and the resulting build-up of lactate causes fatigue.

Bacteria that produce lactic acid are used in the manufacture of dairy products such as yoghurt. The tangy taste is due to the high concentration of this organic acid.

Anaerobic respiration in Microorganisms

Microorganisms such as yeast and certain bacteria obtain most of their energy by a form of anaerobic respiration called fermentation.
Many types of yeast are used in alcoholic fermentation. The equation for the fermentation of glucose is as follows:
C6H12O6 Glucose 2C2H5OH + 2CO2+ 210 kJ of energy Ethanol Carbon dioxide

For fermentation, yeast needs a source of carbohydrate, anaerobic conditions and a suitable temperature. The alcoholic drink produced by fermentation depends largely on the source of the sugar solution used: Fermentation of apple juice produces cider, grape juice produces wine and malt extract from germinating barley produces beer. Distillation of certain fermentation products gives rise to much stronger alcoholic solutions called spirits such as whisky and gin.
Fig:

 The equation for anaerobic respiration shows that CO2 is a product of alcoholic fermentation. In the making of bread, bakers dough rises because the yeast mixed into it produces CO2 gas which fills the dough with bubbles as it escapes.

Anaerobic respiration in Plants

The ability of plants to live as temporary anaerobes allows them to survive in conditions where animals would quickly die of suffocation. When flood occurs, for example, plants can survive for several days.