How many glucose molecules are required for the formation of 52 pyruvic acid molecules at the end of glycolysis

Options

A. 52
B. 46
C. 32
D. 26

Answer

To determine how many glucose molecules are required for the formation of 52 pyruvic acid molecules at the end of glycolysis, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Glycolysis Process
Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate. It occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and consists of a series of ten enzymatic reactions.

### Step 2: Identify the Relationship Between Glucose and Pyruvate
One molecule of glucose (which contains six carbon atoms) is broken down during glycolysis to produce two molecules of pyruvate (each containing three carbon atoms). This means that for every one glucose molecule, two pyruvate molecules are formed.

### Step 3: Set Up the Calculation
Since one glucose molecule produces two pyruvate molecules, we can set up a ratio:
- 1 glucose → 2 pyruvate

### Step 4: Calculate the Number of Glucose Molecules Needed
To find out how many glucose molecules are needed to produce 52 pyruvate molecules, we can use the ratio established:
- If 1 glucose produces 2 pyruvate, then to find the number of glucose molecules (G) required for 52 pyruvate molecules, we can use the formula:

\[ G = \frac{\text{Number of pyruvate}}{2} \]

Substituting the value:

\[ G = \frac{52}{2} = 26 \]

### Step 5: Conclusion
Thus, 26 glucose molecules are required to produce 52 pyruvic acid molecules at the end of glycolysis.

### Final Answer
**26 glucose molecules are required.**

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