So before we move on and talk about chemiosmosis, in this video we're going to share with you a very interesting diagram of this cartoon that can hopefully help you with remembering the electron transport chain or the ETC. In this cartoon, the electron transport chain is represented as an airport. Here, the highlighted region represents the inner mitochondrial membrane, which is again this airport. Notice that up above what we have is the outer mitochondrial membrane, and you can see we're labeling the cytoplasm as this region at the very top here. And then, of course, the space between the inner and outer membranes of the mitochondria will represent the intermembrane space, which, in this cartoon, you can think of as the international airspace.
And then, of course, down below, we have the matrix of the mitochondria, the innermost region of the mitochondria, now called here the drop-off matrix. You might recall that the NADH and FADH2 electron carriers are these electron taxi cabs. Notice these little electron taxi cabs down below representing the NADH and FADH2, highlighted in their reduced forms because they have electron passengers. They carry 2 electrons.
Notice that these are the full versions of the electron taxi cabs, and these electron carriers pick up and drop off electrons at this international airport, representing the electron transport chain. The NADH drops off their electrons at an earlier region than the FADH2s, which drop off their electrons at a different region of this airport or a different region of the electron transport chain. Now, these electron passengers are going to have luggage, or packages, that they carry with them, which unfortunately, turn into lost luggage or lost packages. The 'p' in packages can hopefully remind you of the 'p' in protons.
All of these packages or luggage represent protons; thus, we have H+ inside them. There is a buildup of protons in the intermembrane space as the electrons are being dropped off in the electron transport chain. These electrons that have been dropped off at the electron transport chain will need to move through the electron transport chain. When you get to an airport, you have to go through customs, then security, and wait in line to get on the actual airplane.
These electrons make their way through the electron transport chain to the airplane, and once they're on the airplane, they go to their final destination. The final destination, representing the final electron acceptor, is the "big O" or Orlando here in our cartoon. Orlando represents oxygen, which is O2. In Orlando, with many amusement parks and waterparks, you can think of a water slide here to remind you of the reaction of electrons with protons to form water. A little bit of water will be produced. Hopefully, this little cartoon can help you remember some of the steps and critical stages of the electron transport chain.
So, that being said, we'll be able to apply some concepts as we move forward and continue to learn more as well. See you all in our next video.