Aerobic respiration is the release of energy from glucose or another organic substrate in the presence of Oxygen. Strictly speaking aerobic means in air, but it is the Oxygen in the air which is necessary for aerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration is in the absence of air.
Here is a molecular model of a glucose molecule. You do not need to memorise the diagram for you GCSE exam, but it should help you to understand that a molecule of glucose contains six atoms of Carbon (shown in blue), twelve atoms of Hydrogen (shown in green), and six atoms of Oxygen (shown in red).
In our tissues glucose can be broken down to release energy. The energy is used to make a substance called Adenosine Tri-Phosphate or ATP as it is usually called. ATP can provide energy for other processes such as muscle contractions.
Here is a balanced chemical equation for the process of aerobic respiration. You only need to memorise this for the Higher Tier GCSE paper, however I am sure that you really want a grade “A” so why not memorise it.
You should be able to see six carbon atoms on each side of the equation; One molecule of glucose contains six atoms of Carbon and six molecules of Carbon Dioxide each contain one atom of Carbon.
You should also be able to see that the Hydrogen is balanced. One molecule of Glucose contains twelve atoms of Hydrogen and six molecules of water each contain two atoms of Hydrogen.
Now look at the Oxygen. To make six molecules of Carbon Dioxide we need twelve atoms of Oxygen and to make six molecules of water we need another six atoms of Oxygen. That makes a total of eighteen atoms of Oxygen. The glucose already contains six atoms of Oxygen so the cell will need a further six molecules of Oxygen from the air.
The basic minimum knowledge for GCSE biology is the word equation given below. Even if you don’t understand it you can memorise it like a parrot.
Glucose + Oxygen = Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy
Aerobic respiration takes place in almost all living things. It is easy to get rid of the Carbon Dioxide and excess water; this is excretion (the removal of the toxic waste products of metabolism), and maximum energy is released from the glucose.
Some organisms can respire in the absence of air: this is anaerobic respiration. This does not release so much energy and it produces much more toxic waste products. However, if Oxygen is not available, anaerobic respiration is better than nothing. When this happens in our muscles we produce lactic acid which gives you cramp. The bacteria in milk produce the same chemical when they turn it sour. “Lactic” means “of milk”. So lactic acid is the acid in sour milk. Yeasts produce alcohol which is also toxic. Eventually there will be so much alcohol that the yeast cannot survive.
This is our most popular page this month but it is declining as students are completing this stage of their revision and moving on to osmosis, osmoregulation and the central nervous system.
i still dont understand what aerobic resperation is !<3
Aerobic respiration is the release of energy from glucose or another organic substrate in the presence of Oxygen. This means getting energy out of sugar (glucose).
That is a good explanation you had there for the other girl. I think that the cellular resperation has to do with that too. I dont know though. I will look into that.
Yes, this is cellular respiration.
Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. Keep sharing such ideas in the future as well. this was actually what I was looking for, and I am glad to come here!
Thank you so much! I’m also going to do my Higher Tier GCSE, well kinda different here in Portugal but those are the great ideas we should take in mind. I finally understood the process of aerobic respiration!!
I’m also in Portugal doing GCSE next year
Excellent. Actually, it doesn’t make much difference which exam board you have if you understand the subject. I hope you get a good grade.
thanks for this excellent blog it is very helpful for me in my project
thanks…a lot
It was very helpful n inshaAllah it will help me in my O lvls . Keep sharing d cncpts, Thanks =DDD
other than glucose, what are other kinds of energy?
Hi Katie, I am just back from Paris this evening, hence the delayed response!
Glucose is used as the main source of chemical energy by cells, but they can get energy from fats and proteins.
Other forms of energy include: potential energy, kinetic energy, light, sound, nuclear energy, heat and so on. Do have a look at the physics section of this website.
thanks i have a clear picture on respiration now as i am writting my practical exam tommorow
thank i have a clear picture on respiration as i am writting my practical exam tommorow
thanks i have clear information
i gues i will pass