Question

2. If we labeled a glucose molecule's carbon atoms radioactively, so they could be traced, where would the carbons exit the metabolic pathway?

Answer 1

In a metabolic pathway, if you were to label the carbon atoms of a glucose molecule with radioisotopes (such as 14C) to trace their path, you would find that the carbons exit the metabolic pathway primarily as carbon dioxide (CO2) during the process of cellular respiration. Glucose is broken down through various metabolic reactions in cells, ultimately leading to the production of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). During this process, carbon atoms from glucose are oxidized and released as CO2 when glucose is completely metabolized. This occurs in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells.