In this video, we're going to talk about how aerobic cellular respiration is a redox reaction. And so once again, the overall chemical equation for aerobic cellular respiration is a redox reaction. This recalls from our previous lesson videos just means that it involves the transfer of electrons between molecules. Recall the way that we can remember redox reactions is by remembering LEO, the lion goes grrr. Substances that lose electrons are oxidized, whereas substances that gain electrons are reduced. By the very end of the process of aerobic cellular respiration, glucose is going to lose electrons which means that glucose is going to be oxidized. On the other hand, oxygen gas is going to gain electrons and so oxygen gas is going to be reduced. What we'll learn much later in our course is that oxygen is going to be the final electron acceptor, meaning that it's going to be the last thing that accepts or gains the electrons. This goes hand in hand with oxygen being reduced.

Let's take a look at our example down below at the chemical equation for aerobic cellular respiration. Notice over here on the left-hand side, we're showing you the chemical structure for glucose, and you all should know that glucose's chemical formula is C₆H₁₂O₆. Aerobic cellular respiration is going to take glucose as well as oxygen gas, more specifically six molecules of oxygen gas, and it's going to convert the glucose and the six molecules of oxygen gas into six molecules of carbon dioxide gas, six molecules of water, and a whole bunch of ATP, somewhere between 30 to 38 ATP. Making lots of ATP is really the main point of aerobic cellular respiration to make lots of ATP. It breaks down foods such as sugars like the monosaccharide glucose using oxygen, and when it breaks down that glucose, those foods, it is able to form lots of ATP. It also makes carbon dioxide and water as a byproduct. The glucose molecule is going to lose electrons during this process. The glucose molecule is going to be oxidized and all of those electrons are going to be used to generate ATP. The oxygen gas molecule here is going to be gaining the electrons. We'll learn later in our course that oxygen is the final electron acceptor that gains the electrons. And because it's gaining the electrons, oxygen gas is going to be reduced and ultimately converted into water.

This here is a chemical reaction that you should all be very familiar with and be able to recognize for your exam since professors tend to want their students to be very familiar with this overall chemical equation for aerobic cellular respiration. This concludes our introduction to how aerobic cellular respiration is a redox reaction, and we'll be able to get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward in our course. We'll also continue to learn more and more about aerobic cellular respiration as we move forward as well. I'll see you all in our next video.