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electron transport

American  

noun

Biochemistry.
  1. the stepwise transfer of electrons from one carrier molecule, as a flavoprotein or a cytochrome, to another along the respiratory chain and ultimately to oxygen during the aerobic production of ATP.


electron transport British  

noun

  1. biochem the metabolic process in mitochondria or chloroplasts, in which electrons are transferred in stages from energy-rich compounds to molecular oxygen with liberation of energy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

electron transport Scientific  
  1. The movement of electrons from one electron carrier to another in a series of oxidation-reduction reactions, with each electron transferred to a slightly lower level of energy, so that energy is released. Electron transport is used in the light reactions of photosynthesis and in the final stage of cellular respiration to produce ATP from ADP and phosphate.


Etymology

Origin of electron transport

First recorded in 1950–55


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The team found that the D2 branch has a much higher energy barrier, which makes electron transport energetically unfavourable.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2025

The results show that when you only take electron transport into account, the ratio of electronic conductivity to thermal conductivity approaches what the Wiedemann-Franz law predicts, Wang said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023

"By narrowing the QAH insulator devices, the current pulse resulted in very high current density that switched the magnetization direction, as well as the direction of the electron transport route."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023

The electron transport chain is the portion of aerobic respiration that uses free oxygen as the final electron acceptor for electrons removed from the intermediate compounds in glucose catabolism.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

At the end of the electron transport system, the electrons are used to reduce an oxygen molecule to oxygen ions.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

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