Question

Who discovered the TCA cycle?

Answer 1

TCA is known as the Tricarboxylic acid cycle, and it is also called the Kreb cycle and citric acid cycle. It occurs in the matrix part of mitochondria and it has a common oxidative pathway for carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Complete answer:
The TCA cycle was discovered by biochemist Sir Hans Adolf Krebs in 1953. It Is also known as the Krebs cycle by his name and the citric acid cycle by its initial product.
The citric acid cycle begins with the entry of acetyl CoA and it is the second step of the respiration process where acetyl groups are broken down. It takes place only in the case of aerobic respiration. There are a total of ten steps in the citric acid cycle, and it starts with the condensation process and ends with the dehydrogenation of malate.
In the citric acid cycle decarboxylation occurs in two-step with the production of carbon dioxide, it also releases 3 molecules of NADH by the reduction of 3 molecules of NAD. The reduced electron helps in the get passes to hydrogen atoms and then to oxygen atom through the electron transport system with the generation of ATP molecules. A total of 12 ATP get produced per molecule of pyruvic acid and for each molecule of glucose, a total of 24 molecules of ATP get formed.

Note:
In 1953, Hans Adolf Krebs got the Nobel prize for the discovery of the Tricarboxylic Acid cycle and in the same year, Fritz Albert Lipmann got the Nobel prize for the discovery of coenzyme A and its importance in the process of metabolism.