Paper 1 rot deck

Question 1

explain why respiration of lipids generates more ATP than the respiration of carbohydrates

Answer 1

• Lipids are hydrocarbon-rich molecules, meaning they have many hydrogen atoms.
• These hydrogens are used to reduce NAD⁺ and FAD into NADH and FADH₂ during the Krebs cycle.
• NADH and FADH₂ donate electrons to the electron transport chain (ETC), which drives oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP.
• So, more hydrogen atoms = more electron carriers = more ATP.