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You can store electrons in a battery, and later use that stored energy for light.
You can also store electrons between atoms.
Adenosine is stable with two Phospates. You can store energy by adding a third Phosphate,
This is a “high energy bond” that can't wait to break,
releasing stored energy to move proteins in muscles or ion pumps.
Gasoline also stores energy between atoms. High OCTANE gasoline has 8 carbons in a chain.
When you burn this 8 carbon molecule into 8 individual Carbon Dioxides,
the energy that was between the carbon atoms is released as heat.
Sugar is also a carbon chain, with 6 carbons joined together.
You could release the energy between the carbon atoms in fire,
but that energy would be released too quickly for your body to use.
Instead, you slowly release energy through a bunch of stages.
And at various steps, a little bit of energy is “released and stored”
by creating a high energy bond.
Burning gas releases carbon dioxide. And just like Lung Respiration exhales Carbon
Dioxide, Cellular Respiration also generates carbon
dioxide:
It takes a 6 carbon chain and (after a bunch of steps),
(eventually) releases 6 carbon dioxides, generating useful ATP.
Glycolysis starts with a single 6 carbon chain and ends with a pair of 3 carbon chains.
These 3 carbon chains are further broken down to slowly release energy in the citric acid
cycle, and the electron transport system.
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