So in this lecture, I'd like to focus on the first phase of the pentose phosphate pathway and recall that the first phase of this pentose phosphate pathway is the oxidative phase. This is where we actually oxidize glucose. We transform it into a pentose molecule, as we'll see in just a moment. In the process, we release a carbon dioxide and we generate the much needed reducing agent molecules, the NADPH molecule. So the first phase of the pencil phosphate pathway is the oxidative breakdown of glucose to release carbon dioxide and generate NADPH molecules. So let's see exactly how this takes place.