Give an example of a catabolic reaction. - Leaving Cert Biology - Question b - 2004

A catabolic reaction involves the breakdown of larger molecules into smaller units, releasing energy in the process. A classic example is the digestion of proteins, where proteins are hydrolyzed into amino acids. This can be represented by the following equation:

$\text{Protein} \rightarrow \text{Amino Acids}$

Additionally, cellular respiration is another example of a catabolic process, where glucose is broken down to release energy, which can be represented as:

$\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + 6 \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 6 \text{CO}_2 + 6 \text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{Energy}$