Final answer:
In glycolysis, the reactants include glucose, ATP, NAD+, ADP, and inorganic phosphate. The process converts one glucose molecule into two pyruvate molecules, and produces a net gain of two ATP and two NADH molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of glycolysis is a critical step in cellular respiration, which converts glucose into pyruvate. The primary reactants that go into glycolysis are glucose, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Specifically, the equation for glycolysis can be expressed as:
Glucose + 2ATP + 2NAD+ + 4ADP + 2Pi → 2 Pyruvate + 4ATP + 2NADH + 2+
This indicates that the process starts with a molecule of glucose, utilizes 2 molecules of ATP to kickstart the reaction, and involves other substrates such as NAD+ which is an electron acceptor. Through a series of enzymatic reactions, glycolysis results in the production of two molecules of pyruvate, a net gain of two ATP molecules, and two reduced forms of the coenzyme NADH. These NADH molecules will later participate in the mitochondrial processes to produce even more ATP, thus contributing to the cell's energy supply.