Final answer:
In anaerobic respiration, glucose is broken down into pyruvate which is then fermented into various end products like lactate or ethanol, allowing the cell to continue producing ATP without oxygen.
Step-by-step explanation:
The carbon compounds broken down by glucose in anaerobic respiration are commonly referred to as pyruvate molecules. During anaerobic respiration or fermentation, glucose is initially broken down into pyruvate via glycolysis. In the absence of oxygen, this pyruvate can be further metabolized to produce ATP. The process does not fully oxidize the glucose molecule to carbon dioxide and water as aerobic respiration does. Instead, it regenerates NAD+ by transferring electrons from NADH to various organic molecules derived from pyruvate, such as lactate in animal cells or ethanol and carbon dioxide in yeast. This regeneration is crucial for allowing glycolysis to continue and produce ATP, which is vital for cell survival when oxygen is not available.