The citric acid cycle:

takes place in the mitochondria

has 3 irreversible steps

producing citrate, carbon dioxide, NADH and FADH2

Description

The citric acid cycle takes place within the mitochondria.

The major roles are:

  • Production of NADH (3)
  • Production of FADH2
  • Production of CITRATE
Figure 1. Citric acid cycle schematic

For the production of citrate, a whole cycle is needed, which involves several enzymes.

The cycle is composed of several molecules, but it is easy to remember if we count the number of carbon atoms, instead first all the chemical names.

The cycle is about to involve the previously produced Acetyl-CoA (2C) into Citrate (C6). It is easy to understand that we need a 4C molecule from somewhere — that’s why the cycle starts with Oxaloacetate (4C) and together with the Acetyl-CoA, citrate is formed (Figure 1).

During the cycle, the number of carbons is

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