Cellular respiration produces primarily adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the main energy currency that cells use to power various biological processes
. In aerobic cellular respiration, glucose (C6H12O6C_6H_{12}O_6C6H12O6) is broken down in the presence of oxygen (O2O_2O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2CO2), water (H2OH_2OH2O), and energy stored in ATP molecules. The overall chemical reaction is:
C6H12O6+6O2→6CO2+6H2O+energy (ATP)C_6H_{12}O_6+6O_2\rightarrow 6CO_2+6H_2O+\text{energy (ATP)}C6H12O6+6O2→6CO2+6H2O+energy (ATP)
This process generates about 29 to 36 ATP molecules per glucose molecule, depending on the efficiency of the cell
. Besides ATP, cellular respiration also produces carbon dioxide and water as waste products
. Some heat is also released as a byproduct, which helps maintain body temperature in warm-blooded organisms
. In summary, cellular respiration produces:
- ATP (energy for cellular activities)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2CO2) as a waste product
- Water (H2OH_2OH2O) as a waste product
- Heat (as a minor byproduct)
These products result from the breakdown of glucose using oxygen in aerobic respiration
