One glucose molecule yields how many pyruvate molecules in glycolysis?

• A. 1
• B. 2
• C. 3
• D. 4

Answer: (B)

Glycolysis splits a six-carbon glucose into two three-carbon pyruvate molecules. As glucose is converted through the pathway, it becomes two glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate molecules, and each of these is processed further to pyruvate. The result is two pyruvate molecules per glucose. This stoichiometry underlies how glycolysis feeds into later energy pathways—whether into the mitochondria for aerobic metabolism or into fermentation under anaerobic conditions.