Final answer:
True, during cellular respiration, carbon-containing molecules such as glucose are progressively oxidized to eventually form carbon dioxide as their most oxidized state.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true. During cellular respiration, carbon-containing molecules such as glucose are progressively oxidized, resulting in the generation of carbon dioxide (CO2). The oxidation of glucose begins with glycolysis, where glucose is split into two molecules of pyruvate. Each pyruvate molecule then loses carbon atoms in the form of CO2 during the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle or TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation stages of respiration. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons or increase in oxidation state by a molecule, atom, or ion.
The process starts with Glycolysis in the cytoplasm, where glucose, which is a six-carbon molecule, is broken into two three-carbon pyruvate molecules. Pyruvate undergoes a transformation to Acetyl Coenzyme A (Acetyl CoA), and then it enters the mitochondrial matrix for further oxidation during the Krebs cycle. Throughout these steps, carbon atoms in the molecules are gradually stripped of electrons (and hydrogen atoms) and ultimately released as CO2, reaching their most oxidized state.