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Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Bergmeyer Glucose Quantification for Microbiological Samples
Published on: January 17, 2025
EXPRESS: Balanced overall equation for the complete oxidation of glucose: resolving a 30-year stoichiometric
Yumiko Motoyama1, Kei Wada1,2, Nobuhiro Yukawa1
1Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan.
Abstract:
Does glucose oxidation yield 6 or 10 H2O? Debated 30 years ago and revived in 2025, the question underlies a brain metabolic water budget built on C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 10H2O, which does not satisfy the law of conservation of mass. The balanced form, C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 4ADP3⁻ + 4HPO42⁻ + 4H⁺ → 6CO2 + 10H2O + 4ATP4⁻, combines combustion (6H2O) with substrate-level phosphorylation (4H2O). This reconciles both answers, resolving the controversy. How much water is secreted per glucose depends on the fate of ATP; choosing 6 or 10 changes estimates of brain metabolic water by two-thirds.
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