Citric Acid Cycle Lab Report

The citric acid cycle is an amphibolic pathway. It utilises both anabolic and catabolic reactions; the first reaction of the cycle, in which oxaloacetate (a four carbon compound) condenses with acetate (a two carbon compound) to form citrate (a six carbon compound) is typically anabolic. The production of the isomeric isocitrate is simply intramolecular rearrangement. The subsequent two reactions are typically catabolic, producing succinate (a four carbon compound), which is then oxidised, forming fumarate (a four carbon compound). Water addition produces malate and then oxidised for regeneration of oxaloacetate. Thus the cycle can be seen to exhibit both anabolic and catabolic processes to form its intermediates.
An essential dissimilarity