The citric acid cycle, also called the Krebs cycle,
completes the breakdown of pyruvate to CO
2
The cycle oxidizes organic fuel derived from
pyruvate, generating 1 ATP, 3 NADH, and 1 FADH
2
(
k
c
a
l
/
m
o
l
)
50
40
30
20
10
0
NADH
NAD
+
FADH
2
FAD
2
2
e
−
e
−
FMN
Fe•S
Fe•S
Q
I
II
III
Cyt b
Cyt c
1
Fe•S
Cyt c
IV
Cyt a
Cyt a
3
2e
−
O
22 H
+
+ ½
H
2
O
(
k
c
a
l
/
m
o
l
)
(originally from
NADH or FADH
2
)
2 H
+
+ ½O
2
H
2O
Electrons are transferred from NADH or FADH
2
to the
electron transport chain
Electrons are passed through a number of proteins
including cytochromes (each with an iron atom)
to O
2
The electron transport chain generates no ATP
directly
It breaks the large free-energy drop from food to O
2