Question

How does the oxidation of one glucose molecule compare to the oxidation of palmitic acid (palmitate)?

Answer 1

Both generate ATP.

Explanation:

The oxidation of one glucose molecule yields about 34 ATP, whereas the oxidation of palmitic acid (palmitate) yields 129 ATP.
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/biochem/hhmi/hhmiclasses/biochem/lectnoteskga/2kjan14lecturenotes.html

The respiratory quotient (RQ) of glucose is `(6 "CO"_2)/(6"O"_2")=1`.
The RQ of palmitic acid is `(16"CO"_2)/(23"O"_2")=0.70`

A lower RQ means that more oxygen is consumed relative to the production of carbon dioxide, which means that more ATP can be produced.

http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~gross/bioed/webmodules/respiratoryquotient.html