Video Transcript
As glucose breaks down in aerobic respiration, it transfers energy to the
surroundings. What type of chemical reaction is this? (A) Exothermic, (B) endothermic.
Cellular respiration is the process of converting energy in glucose to ATP to provide
energy for our cells. There are two types of cellular respiration, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic respiration requires the use of oxygen, while anaerobic does not.
In aerobic respiration, glucose is combined with oxygen to make carbon dioxide,
water, and energy in the form of ATP. Most of the energy that is released in cellular respiration is put into molecules of
ATP. This ATP can be used to provide energy for many processes in the cell.
In aerobic respiration, glucose and oxygen, which are the reactants in the reaction,
have a high amount of stored energy. The products of cellular respiration, carbon dioxide and water, have a low amount of
stored energy. The energy difference we see here is put into producing ATP. This kind of chemical reaction, where energy is released because the reactants have
higher stored energy than the products, is called an exothermic reaction. On the other hand, a reaction where the products have higher stored energy than the
reactants and energy is absorbed is called an endothermic reaction.
So the type of chemical reaction where glucose breaks down in aerobic respiration and
releases energy is given by answer choice (A), exothermic.
