Cellular respiration is the oxygen-requiring reactions, occurring in the mitochondrion, that breaks down the end products of glycolysis into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), while capturing large amounts of energy as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Most cells can metabolize a variety of organic molecules to produce ATP. Virtually, all cells metabolize glucose for energy, at least part of the time. Secondly, glucose metabolism is less complex than the metabolism of most other organic molecules.

The formula for complete glucose metabolism is the opposite of photosynthesis. The products of one, is the reactants of another. The formula for glucose metabolism is as follows:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O

There are a few basic steps in glucose metabolism. The first stage, glycolysis, does not require oxygen and proceeds in exactly the same way under both aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions.

Glycolysis splits apart a...