What are the two main products of the electron transport chain?

The two main products of the electron transport chain are ATP and water. During cellular respiration, specifically in the oxidative phosphorylation phase that includes the electron transport chain, electrons are transferred along a series of protein complexes embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane. As these electrons move through the chain, they provide the energy needed to pump protons (H+ ions) from the mitochondrial matrix into the intermembrane space, creating a proton gradient.

This gradient drives protons back into the matrix through ATP synthase, a process known as chemiosmosis, leading to the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate. In parallel with this, the electrons ultimately combine with oxygen (the final electron acceptor) and protons to form water. Thus, ATP, which serves as the primary energy currency of the cell, and water are the key end products generated by this process.

The other options do not accurately represent the main products of the electron transport chain. Glucose is not produced here, as it is the starting substrate of glycolysis and not a product of the electron transport chain. NADH and FADH2 are actually electron carriers that feed electrons into the chain but are not products of the chain itself. Similarly, while carbon dioxide is produced during other