Key learning points

1. Cellular respiration happens continuously in all living organisms to transfer the energy needed for life processes.
2. Cellular respiration is an exothermic chemical process that uses glucose as a fuel, and makes ATP.
3. Word equation and balanced symbol equation summarises the reactants and products of aerobic cellular respiration.
4. Aerobic cellular respiration takes place in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells.
5. Aerobic cellular respiration takes place in the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells, which do not have mitochondria.

Keywords

• Cellular respiration - an exothermic chemical process that transfers energy for life processes, using glucose as a fuel

• Exothermic - a chemical process that transfers energy to its surroundings

• Aerobic - a process that requires oxygen

• ATP - a substance used as a chemical store of energy in cells

• Mitochondria - sub-cellular structures involved in aerobic cellular respiration

Common misconception