oxidative phosphorylation

The name for what most people call 'breathing'. That is to say, expanding and contracting your lungs only causes gas exchange; what really uses up the oxygen is this process.

In the mitochondrion, protons and electrons are separated across a membrane and the proton gradient that results is transformed into stored chemical energy by F₁F_o ATP synthase. This large (ca. 1MDa) enzyme complex is almost 90 percent efficient, and bears much resemblance to other ion pumps. However, it converts the energy of the protons passing through it into ATP (by catalysing the phosphorylation of ADP).

Excess protons are used to reduce oxygen to form the deadly dihydrogen monoxide. This final process is blocked by cyanide, which rapidly causes the whole system to grind to a halt.

In the final stage of aerobic respiration, the energy for the phosphorylation of ATP to ADP comes from the activity of the electron transport chain. This takes place in the mitochondrial membranes.

Reduced NAD and reduced FAD are passed to the electron transport chain. Here hydrogens are removed from the hydrogen carriers and each is split into its constituent hydrogen ion (H+). Once the electron is transferred to oxygen a hydrogen ion will be drawn from solution to reduce the oxygen to water. The transfer of electrons along the series of electron carriers makes energy available which is used to convert ADP to ATP.

The hydrogen ions are pumped into the intermembrane space of the mitochondria. As they diffuse back they pass through stalk proteins on the inner membrane. These contain the protein ATP synthase. As hydrogen ions pass through, its three binding sites rotate between the states of attaching ADP and P_i, binding ADP and P_i and releasing ATP.