Biology › Section D · Energy: metabolism, respiration, photosynthesis › Topic D.6
Oxidative phosphorylation
The first three stages of breaking glucose apart only banked a handful of ATP — their real product is loaded electron carriers. Oxidative phosphorylation is the payoff: those electrons tumble down a chain of proteins, pump protons across a membrane, and the flood back through ATP synthase mints the bulk of the cell's ATP.
In this topic
- The relay race at the end of the line
- Four complexes and two couriers
- Chemiosmosis: the gradient becomes ATP
- Worked example: why NADH out-earns FADH₂
- Worked example: the full glucose ledger
- Poisons and the machine
- Why the yield is a range, not a number
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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