How many ATP will be produced during the production of 1 molecule of acetyl CoA from 1 molecule of pyruvic acid ?

Options

A. 3 ATP
B. 5 ATP
C. 8 ATP
D. 38 ATP

Answer

To determine how many ATP molecules are produced during the conversion of one molecule of pyruvic acid to one molecule of acetyl CoA, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Pyruvic Acid**:
- Pyruvic acid is a 3-carbon molecule produced from glucose through glycolysis. This process occurs in the cytoplasm and yields two molecules of pyruvic acid per molecule of glucose.

2. **Entry into Mitochondria**:
- Under aerobic conditions, pyruvic acid is transported into the mitochondria where it undergoes further processing.

3. **Conversion to Acetyl CoA**:
- In the mitochondria, pyruvic acid is converted to acetyl CoA through a process called pyruvate decarboxylation. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

4. **Decarboxylation Reaction**:
- During this conversion, one carbon atom is removed from pyruvic acid (which is a 3-carbon molecule), resulting in the formation of acetyl CoA (which is a 2-carbon molecule). The removed carbon is released as carbon dioxide (CO2).

5. **NADH Production**:
- Importantly, during the conversion of pyruvic acid to acetyl CoA, one molecule of NADH is produced. This is a crucial step because NADH carries electrons to the electron transport chain.

6. **ATP Yield from NADH**:
- Each NADH molecule produced can generate approximately 2.5 to 3 ATP molecules during oxidative phosphorylation in the electron transport chain. For the sake of this question, we will consider the yield to be 3 ATP per NADH.

7. **Final Calculation**:
- Since only one NADH is produced during the conversion of one pyruvic acid to acetyl CoA, the total ATP yield from this reaction is 3 ATP.

### Conclusion:
The production of one molecule of acetyl CoA from one molecule of pyruvic acid results in the generation of **3 ATP molecules**.

### Answer:
**3 ATP**

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