EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -In the mitochondria, the metabolism of sugars is completed, and the energy released is harnessed so efficiently that about 30 molecules of ATP are produced for each molecule of glucose oxidized. By contrast, only 2 molecules of ATP are produced per glucose molecule by glycolysis alone.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles (mitochondrion, singular) that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions. Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Detailed explanation-3: -ATP is generated by the mitochondrial ATP synthase from ADP and phosphate ions. These are the products of ATP hydrolysis at the sites where energy is needed in the cell.

Detailed explanation-4: -The classic role of mitochondria is oxidative phosphorylation, which generates ATP by utilizing the energy released during the oxidation of the food we eat. ATP is used in turn as the primary energy source for most biochemical and physiological processes, such as growth, movement and homeostasis.

Detailed explanation-5: -Through metabolic processes, ATP becomes hydrolyzed into ADP, or further to AMP, and free inorganic phosphate groups. The process of ATP hydrolysis to ADP is energetically favorable, yielding Gibbs-free energy of-7.3 cal/mol.