The Krebs cycle has five main steps. In eukaryotic cells, all five steps occur in the mitochondrial matrix.
Step 1: A 2-Carbon molecule of acetyl CoA combines with a 4-Carbon compound, oxaloacetic acid, to produce a 6-Carbon compound, citric acid.
Step 2: Citric acid releases a CO2 molecule and a hydrogen atom to form a 5-Carbon compound. The electron in the hydrogen atom is transferred to NAD+, reducing it to NADH.
Step 3: The 5-Carbon compound formed in step 2 also releases a CO2 molecule and a hydrogen atom, forming a 4-Carbon compound. Again, NAD+ is reduced to NADH. In this step, a molecule of ATP is also synthesized from ADP.
Step 4: The 4-Carbon compound formed in step 3 releases a hydrogen atom to form another 4-Carbon compound. This time, the hydrogen atom is used to reduce FAD to FADH2. FAD is a molecule very similar to NAD+. Like NAD+, FAD accepts electrons during redox reactions.
Step 5: The 4-Carbon compound formed in step 4 releases a hydrogen atom to regenerate oxaloacetic acid, which keeps the Krebs cycle operating. The electron in the hydrogen atom reduces NAD+ to NADH.
Recall that in glycolysis one glucose molecule produces two pyruvic acid molecules, which can form two molecules of acetyl CoA. Thus, one glucose molecule is completely broken down in two turns of the Krebs cycle. These two turns produce 8 NADH, 2 FADH2, 2 ATP, and 6 CO2 molecules.