Why is the citric acid cycle a cyclic pathway rather than a linear pathway?
in the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl coa, one carbon atom is released as co₂. however, the oxidation of the remaining two carbon atoms—in acetate—to co₂ requires a complex, eight-step pathway—the citric acid cycle. consider four possible explanations for why the last two carbons in acetate are converted to co₂ in a complex cyclic pathway rather than through a simple, linear reaction.