(Solved):   Electron transport chain! - Following glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, \( \mathrm{NAD ...

 

Electron transport chain! - Following glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, \( \mathrm{NADH} \) and \( \mathrm{FADH} \) account for most of the energy extracted from food - These two electron carriers donate electrons to the electron transport chain, which powers ATP synthesis via oxidative phosphorylation - The electron transport chain is in the inner membrane (cristae) of the mitochondrion - Most of the chain's components are proteins, which exist in multiprotein complexes - Electrons drop in free energy as they go down the chain and are finally passed to \( \mathrm{O}_{2} \), forming \( \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O} \) - Electrons are transferred from \( \mathrm{NADH} \) or \( \mathrm{FADH}_{2} \) to the electron transport chain - Electrons are passed through a number of proteins to \( \mathrm{O}_{2} \) (the final electron acceptor) - The electron transport chain generates no ATP directly - It breaks the large free-energy drop from food to \( \mathrm{O}_{2} \) into smaller steps that release energy in manageable amounts - Do the electrons from \( \mathrm{NADH} \) and \( \mathrm{FADH}_{2} \) provide the same amount of energy for ATP synthase? (page 175 in textbook)