BRAINCAKEThe Link Reaction
Pyruvate enters the mitochondria. There it undergoes decarboxylation, dehydrogenation by pyruvate dehydrogenase to form two-carbon acetate and carbon dioxide. The removal of carbon dioxide from pyruvate is called decarboxylation. Decarboxylation is accompanied by dehydrogenation the removal of hydrogen. The hydrogen reduces NAD to reduced NAD.
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Key terms in this lesson
- pyruvate
- The three-carbon end product of glycolysis, which enters the mitochondrion for the link reaction in the presence of oxygen or is reduced to lactate or ethanol in its absence.
More in Respiration
- Glycolysis
- Phosphorylation
- Lysis
- Substrate Level Phosphorylation
- The Krebs Cycle.
- oxidative phosphorylation
- ATP Synthase
- ATP Synthase
All 12 lessons in Respiration · All AQA A-level Biology topics