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What is decarboxylation |
| Answer» Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain.C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy.This equation expresses what happens in respiration,the oxidative breakdown of glucose to form carbon dioxide, water, and energy. In the course of this transformation, each of the carbon atoms of glucose is eventually converted to individual CO2 molecules. The actual chemical step by which a carbon atom, in the form of carbon dioxide, breaks off from a larger organic molecule is called a decarboxylation reaction. The key decarboxylation steps in the conversion of glucose to carbon dioxide occur in the citric acid (Krebs) cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway. | |