What is the total energy yield of aerobic cellular respiration from one molecule of glucose?

The total energy yield of aerobic cellular respiration from one molecule of glucose is most accurately represented as 32 ATP. This process can be broken down into several key stages: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle), and oxidative phosphorylation (which includes the electron transport chain).

During glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm, a net gain of 2 ATP molecules is produced. Following this, the Krebs cycle takes place in the mitochondria and yields 2 additional ATP directly through substrate-level phosphorylation. However, the significant ATP production occurs during oxidative phosphorylation, where the high-energy electrons transported through the electron transport chain lead to the production of approximately 28 ATP molecules due to the proton gradient created across the mitochondrial membrane.

In total, when adding these together (2 ATP from glycolysis, 2 from the Krebs cycle, and about 28 from oxidative phosphorylation), the total energy yield amounts to approximately 32 ATP. This number can vary slightly depending on the cell type and the efficiency of the processes, but under typical conditions, 32 ATP is the widely accepted yield for aerobic respiration of one glucose molecule.