(1) Oxidative phosphorylation is a process consisting of the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis that generates ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate. (2) As electrons from NADH and FADH2 enter the electron transport chain, they are passed from complex to complex, which pump protons out of the mitochondrial matrix and into the intermembrane space. (3) ATP synthase uses the potential energy from the proton gradient to phosphorylate ADP, producing ATP for the cell. Defects in oxidative phosphorylation often involve mutations in mitochondrial DNA and can affect tissues with high energy demands like the brain, heart, and skeletal muscles.