I understand glycolysis very well as far as the reactants, intermediates, and products. I can draw them all out and tell you mostly everything about it as we just had a test on it. However, I still do not understand what oxidation and reduction has to do with it. It's like I am missing the "big picture".
I would appreciate any help with the following questions, and prefer an organic chemistry-type explanation if possible
Where, in the steps of glycolysis, are the oxidation-reduction reactions? (Other than step 6 which is obvious)
Is step 1 considered an oxidation-reduction reaction? If so, is the following explanation the correct way of thinking?
Glucose is OXIDIZED, because it LOSES electrons by swapping an O-H bond (where O hogs most of the electrons) for a bond with a phosphoryl group (which hogs the electrons by taking them from oxygen)...
while ATP is REDUCED because the oxygen atom that loses the phosphoryl group no longer has to share its electrons with the phosphoryl group, thereby GAINING electrons.
Thanks, hopefully my question is easy to understand.
I would appreciate any help with the following questions, and prefer an organic chemistry-type explanation if possible
Where, in the steps of glycolysis, are the oxidation-reduction reactions? (Other than step 6 which is obvious)
Is step 1 considered an oxidation-reduction reaction? If so, is the following explanation the correct way of thinking?
Glucose is OXIDIZED, because it LOSES electrons by swapping an O-H bond (where O hogs most of the electrons) for a bond with a phosphoryl group (which hogs the electrons by taking them from oxygen)...
while ATP is REDUCED because the oxygen atom that loses the phosphoryl group no longer has to share its electrons with the phosphoryl group, thereby GAINING electrons.
Thanks, hopefully my question is easy to understand.