DIY Glycolysis

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Step Ten - Reduction of Phosphoenolpyruvate

Possible, desirable but not optimal.

Yes, you will need to reduce at some point. And now looks like a good time to do it. You would end up with phosphorylated lactate which you could then dephosphorylate. However, if you do it that way the last two steps will each have only a moderately negetive Delta G and will be reversible. If you dephosphorylate the enol first the spontaneous rearrangement to pyruvate will give you a highly negetive Delta G and an irreversible step. That is a big advantage because it will draw material through the pathway and stop it ever running backwards.