Respiration has a lot to do with the electron transport chain in cells. The electron transport chain is a number of protein complexes in the mitochondrial membrane. Two electrons are handed from NADH into the NADH dehydrogenase complex. Along with this transfer is the pumping of one hydrogen ion for each seperate electron. Secondly, the two electrons are transferred to ubiquinone(a mobile carrier because it moves the electrons to the cytochrome b-c1 complex). After that each electron is passed from the cytochrome b-c1 complex to cytochrome c. This only takes one electron at a time, pumping one hydrogen ion through the complex as each electron is transferred. Next, four electrons in the cytochrome oxidase complex interact with a molecular oxygen molecule and eight different hydrogen ions. The four electrons, only for of the hydrogen ions, and the molecular oxygen form two water molecules. The remaining four hydrogen ions are pumped across the membrane. Hydrogen pumping creates a gradient. The potential energy in the gradient is used up by ATP synthase to ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate. Most electron transport cycles occur simultaneously to make sure the protein gradient is always maintained.
This really confused me at first, but after looking through various animations and having it explained to me about 999,999,999,999.876 times, I understand it better now.(:
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