The Citric Acid Cycle is also called the "Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA) and the "Krebs Cycle." This cycle is a series of biochemical reactions that completes the catabolic pathway for the Glucose molecule that started glycolysis. Energy from the Citric Acid Cycle is captured by electron carriers (NAD and FAD). Also, ATP is generated at one of the steps in this cycle. Remember that you will be expected to understand the citric acid cycle at the level it is shown in the summary figure you have previously downloaded.

After the completion of this phase of metabolism, the following molecules and ATP are made as a byproduct:

Below is a more detailed figure showing the citric acid cycle. Although it is more than you will need, it may serve as a good reference for you to understand more about the citric acid cycle. It helps to review this figure along with your summary figure to understand more about the citric acid cycle. This figure may help you understand the terminology that you come across in your online research to learn about the citric acid cycle.

Metabolism Summary Part 2: Citric Acid Cycle

Below is an image of the process of the Citric Acid (Krebs) Cycle magnified from the Metabolism Summary image you saw in 8.1. A continuation of our summary on metabolism follows below for the Citric Acid Cycle up until we reach the Electron Transport Chain where we will return to get the detailed information on this process first before continuing with our summary on all of the processes of metabolism. The green numbers in the image correlate with each of the steps listed below:

8 Steps 8-12 complete the story of aerobic metabolism of glucose. After pyruvate is transported into the mitochondria, another dehydrogenase enzyme (actually a very large enzyme complex) will accomplish several things. It will remove 2 protons and 2 electrons from pyruvate. This creates NADH (actually 2 NADHs because there are 2 pyruvates). Also, the reaction results in the loss of a carbon and two oxygen atoms (released as CO₂). Finally, the remaining 2 carbon molecule is attached to Coenzyme A.

Coenzyme A (often referred to as simply CoA) is derived from pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5). Acetyl CoA is the name used for the product of the reaction in step 8. The “Acetyl” prefix specifically refers to the 2 carbon group that is being transported by the CoA. Black dots in the summary figure help us keep track of the carbons that originated from the glucose molecule way back at the beginning of glycolysis. Notice that ultimately all the black dots are released as CO₂ so that the metabolism of glucose leaves us with no accumulation of carbons in the cell. Acetyl CoA will enter and participate in the reactions of the Citric Acid Cycle.

9 Step 9 represents the activities of the Citric Acid (or Krebs) Cycle. The Citric Acid Cycle involves a lot of steps. The intent for our level of understanding will not involve details of all the reactions.

10 The important things to remember about the Citric Acid Cycle are…

1. A 4 carbon molecule called oxaloacetate combines with the acetyl (2 carbon) group of Acetyl CoA (which came from glucose or fatty acids or possibly even some of the amino acids). This will yield a 6 carbon molecule called citric acid. Citric acid will be changed and manipulated as this 6 carbon molecule ends up recycled back to oxaloacetate – thus the term “Citric Acid Cycle”.
2. During the reactions of the citric acid cycle, CO₂ will be lost twice. This means that if you are counting, you will realize that every carbon of the original Glucose or Fat is ultimately lost as CO₂. This is the reason we have to breathe continuously as we do.
3. Hydrogens with electrons are transferred to NAD⁺. This creates 6 NADH molecules.
4. FAD is reduced to FADH₂. This yields 2 FADH₂ molecules.
5. Substrate-Level Phosphorylation will yield an ATP for each turn of the Citric Acid Cycle (or 2 total for each glucose).