what are the reactants of cellular respiration?

The main reactants of cellular respiration are glucose and oxygen.

Short direct answer

• Glucose (a simple sugar, often written as C₆H₁₂O₆\text{C₆H₁₂O₆}C₆H₁₂O₆)

• Oxygen gas (O₂\text{O₂}O₂)

In a common overall equation, cellular respiration is:
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ATP\text{C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ATP}C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ATP, where glucose and oxygen are the reactants, and carbon dioxide, water, and ATP are the products.

Quick Scoop

In words, you can think of cellular respiration as your cells “burning” glucose using oxygen to release energy. The waste that comes out of this process is carbon dioxide and water, while the useful output is ATP, the cell’s main energy currency.