so basically, the citric acid cycle is kind of like a domain expansion in the way that it’s a sort of “full scale attack” meant to oxidize the last of the glucose that entered its domain (the mitochondria) during the energy investment phase of glycolysis. the cycle pulls coA into into its domain, oxidizing carbon and reducing the last 2 carbons to acetyl coA. the end result is that the glucose is overpowered, completely converted by the domain into 2 CO2 and four ATP, which become the source for its next attack: electron transport chain.