Question

glucose consists of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. what happens to these atoms during glycolysis?
a) the atoms are converted into other molecules in a series of chemical reactions
b) all atoms are transformed into other atoms in a series of chemical reactions
c) the atoms are transformed into energy
d) nothing, glycolysis does not affect the glucose molecule

Explanation:

Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway where glucose (a 6-carbon molecule) is broken down through a series of chemical reactions. Atoms are neither transformed into other atoms (violates conservation of matter) nor converted into energy (energy is released from chemical bonds, not atom-to-energy conversion). Glycolysis clearly modifies glucose, splitting it into pyruvate molecules, so the atoms are rearranged into new molecules.

Answer:

a) The atoms are converted into other molecules in a series of chemical reactions