Number of Oxygen atoms required for complete oxidation of pyruvic acid is

Options

A. 6
B. 12
C. 3
D. 8

Answer

To determine the number of oxygen atoms required for the complete oxidation of pyruvic acid, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the structure of pyruvic acid
Pyruvic acid (C3H4O3) is a three-carbon compound that is produced during glycolysis from glucose. It contains three carbon atoms, four hydrogen atoms, and three oxygen atoms.

### Step 2: Identify the complete oxidation process
Complete oxidation of pyruvic acid involves its conversion into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). During this process, all carbon atoms in pyruvic acid are converted into CO2, and hydrogen atoms are converted into water.

### Step 3: Calculate the number of CO2 produced
For each molecule of pyruvic acid, which has three carbon atoms, the complete oxidation will produce three molecules of CO2:
- 1 pyruvic acid → 3 CO2

### Step 4: Calculate the number of H2O produced
In addition to CO2, the hydrogen atoms from pyruvic acid will combine with oxygen to form water. Each molecule of water (H2O) contains one oxygen atom. The four hydrogen atoms in pyruvic acid will yield two molecules of water:
- 4 H → 2 H2O

### Step 5: Determine the total oxygen requirement
Now, we need to calculate the total number of oxygen atoms required for the formation of CO2 and H2O:
- Each CO2 molecule contains 2 oxygen atoms. For 3 CO2, we need:
- 3 CO2 × 2 O = 6 O
- Each H2O molecule contains 1 oxygen atom. For 2 H2O, we need:
- 2 H2O × 1 O = 2 O

### Step 6: Sum the total oxygen atoms
Now, we sum the oxygen atoms required for both CO2 and H2O:
- Total O = Oxygen for CO2 + Oxygen for H2O
- Total O = 6 O (from CO2) + 2 O (from H2O) = 8 O

### Conclusion
The total number of oxygen atoms required for the complete oxidation of one molecule of pyruvic acid is 8.

### Final Answer
The number of oxygen atoms required for complete oxidation of pyruvic acid is 8.

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