What drives electrons down this enzymatic series
Is the growing level of each carrier’s electronegativity
And to oxygen electrons ultimately fall
It’s the most electronegative of them all
It’s NADH that starts this run
Donating electrons to Complex number I
This powers active transport as protons are displaced.
And get pumped from the matrix to the intermembrane space
From Complex I electrons flow to
Ubiquinone, also known as “Q”
Which floats through the inner membrane happily
And brings its electrons to Complex III
And you can guess the function of Complex III .
It’s another proton pump using electron energy
Protons jam up in that intermembrane compartment
Like a hundred people in a one bedroom apartment!
CHORUS
Complex II is for FADH2
Which donates electrons, which then get passed to Q
Which once again passes them to Complex III
Which pumps protons using electron energy
From Complex III the electrons proceed
To another mobile carrier, Cytochrome C
Which donates the electrons to Complex IV
Another proton pump, could you ask for more?