The correct sequence of the four steps of aerobic cellular respiration is: c) glycolysis, formation of acetyl CoA, citric acid cycle, electron transport chain.
To clarify, the process of aerobic cellular respiration involves a series of metabolic pathways that cells use to convert glucose into energy. The process starts with glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm. Here, one molecule of glucose is broken down into two molecules of pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP and NADH in the process.
Next, in the presence of oxygen, the pyruvate undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to form acetyl CoA. This molecule then enters the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle), which takes place in the mitochondria. During the citric acid cycle, more NADH and FADH2 are produced, along with a good amount of ATP.
Finally, the electron transport chain occurs, where the NADH and FADH2 generated in the previous steps are used to produce a large amount of ATP. This step utilizes oxygen as the final electron acceptor and produces water as a byproduct. Each of these steps plays a crucial role in the overall process of converting glucose into usable energy in the form of ATP.