During aerobic respiration, one molecule of glucose produces:

Options

A. `2 ATP` molecules
B. `50 ATP` molecules
C. `38 ATP` molecules
D. `36 ATP` molecules

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Aerobic Respiration**: Aerobic respiration is a process that occurs in the presence of oxygen, where glucose is broken down to produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

2. **Glucose Breakdown**: One molecule of glucose (C6H12O6) undergoes several metabolic pathways during aerobic respiration, which include glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain.

3. **ATP Production in Glycolysis**: In glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm, one molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvate. During this process, a net gain of 2 ATP molecules is produced.

4. **ATP Production in the Krebs Cycle**: The pyruvate molecules enter the mitochondria and are further processed in the Krebs cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle). For each glucose molecule, 2 ATP molecules are produced from the Krebs cycle.

5. **ATP Production in the Electron Transport Chain**: The majority of ATP is produced in the electron transport chain, which occurs in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Here, the electrons from NADH and FADH2 (produced in previous steps) are transferred through a series of proteins, leading to the production of approximately 34 ATP molecules.

6. **Total ATP Calculation**: Adding the ATP produced from each stage:
- Glycolysis: 2 ATP
- Krebs Cycle: 2 ATP
- Electron Transport Chain: 34 ATP
- Total = 2 + 2 + 34 = 38 ATP

7. **Conclusion**: Therefore, during aerobic respiration, one molecule of glucose produces a total of 38 ATP molecules.

**Final Answer**: 38 ATP molecules.

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