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WHAT IS GLYCOLYSIS?
Glycolysis (from glycose, an older term[1] for glucose + -lysis degradation) is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose C6H12O6, into pyruvate, CH3COCOOâ?? + H+. The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy compounds ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).[2]
Glycolysis is a purely anaerobic reaction. While it can happen in the presence of oxygen, oxygen is never involved in the reaction, nor does it alter it. Terms like "aerobic glycolysis" are a misnomer, but are sometimes used to describe the environment of the cell and how it affects the metabolic breakdown of the pyruvate product.
Glycolysis is a determined sequence of ten reactions involving ten intermediate compounds (one of the steps involves two intermediates). The intermediates provide entry points to glycolysis. For example, most monosaccharides, such as fructose, glucose, and galactose, can be converted to one of these intermediates. The intermediates may also be directly useful. For example, the intermediate dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) is a source of the glycerol that combines with fatty acids to form fat.


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