Title: mitochondrion
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - mitochondrion
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.15890
Status: current

Definition
Eukaryote cytoplasmic organelle that is bounded by an outer membrane and an inner membrane; the inner membrane has folds called cristae that are the center of ATP synthesis in oxidative phosphorylation in the animal cell and supplement ATP synthesis by the chloroplasts in photosynthetic cells.

Note
The mitochondrial matrix within the inner membrane contains ribosomes, many oxidative enzymes, and a circular DNA molecule that carries the genetic information for a number of these enzymes.

Source
- PAC, 2007, 79, 1153. 'Glossary of terms used in toxicology, 2nd edition (IUPAC Recommendations 2007)' on page 1264 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac200779071153)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15890/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15890/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15890/xml

Citation: Citation: 'mitochondrion' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.15890
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Accessed: 2026-05-10T16:00:01+00:00