What are the crucial events in aerobic respiration ?

1. Glycolysis: The first stage of aerobic respiration, where glucose is broken down into pyruvate in the cytoplasm of the cell, producing a small amount of ATP.

2. Pyruvate oxidation: Pyruvate is transported into the mitochondria and converted into acetyl-CoA, releasing carbon dioxide and producing NADH.

3. Citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle): Acetyl-CoA enters the citric acid cycle, where it is further broken down to produce more NADH and FADH2, as well as ATP.

4. Electron transport chain: NADH and FADH2 produced in the previous steps donate electrons to the electron transport chain, located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This process generates a proton gradient, which drives ATP synthesis through oxidative phosphorylation.

5. ATP synthesis: The proton gradient generated by the electron transport chain is used to drive ATP synthesis through ATP synthase, producing a large amount of ATP.

6. Final electron acceptor: Oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor in aerobic respiration, combining with electrons and protons to form water.

Overall, aerobic respiration is a highly efficient process that produces a large amount of ATP, providing energy for cellular activities.