Glycolysis
Glycolysis converts one six-carbon glucose molecule into two three-carbon pyruvate molecules in the cytosol while producing a small amount of ATP and reducing equivalents.
Open interactive lesson & self-check ↗Glycolysis: carbon and energy overview
Original conceptual SVG · scalableOne glucose → two pyruvate. ATP and NADH accounting is net per glucose; ten enzymatic steps are simplified to four blocks.
Organize the ten reactions
The investment phase uses two ATP equivalents. The payoff phase yields four ATP equivalents and two NADH per glucose under the standard pathway.
Remember key regulation points
Hexokinase or glucokinase, phosphofructokinase-1 and pyruvate kinase catalyse important irreversible steps and are regulated in tissue-specific ways.
Follow pyruvate
In aerobic tissues pyruvate can enter mitochondrial metabolism via acetyl-CoA. When oxidative NADH reoxidation is limited, lactate dehydrogenase helps regenerate cytosolic NAD+ for continued glycolysis.
Reference and next reading
Explore the original curriculum and publisher-hosted resources for full-depth reading; this note is an original schematic introduction, not an exhaustive chapter.