3. Before pyruvate
can enter the Krebs Cycle it must be oxidized to form acetyl-CoA, an important
coenzyme in all cells.
First pyruvate, a 3-carbon molecule loses
some hydrogen and energized electrons (as C-H bonds are broken) which are used
to make NADH, an energy and hydrogen carrier. Secondly, it loses one of its
carbon atoms as carbon dioxide. The 2-carbon Acetyl-CoA is then formed from
the remaining 2 carbon molecule.
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Slichter