Acetyl coenzyme A delivers its acetyl group to which four-carbon acceptor at the start of the citric acid cycle?

1. In the presence of oxygen the acetyl group is handed to a four-carbon acceptor. 2. That acceptor is oxaloacetate. 3. Two carbons plus four carbons give citrate, a six-carbon molecule with three carboxyl groups. 4. Malate, fumarate and succinate are all later intermediates of the same cycle, so they cannot be the entry point. _Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 "Cellular Respiration", section 7.3 Oxidation of Pyruvate and the Citric Acid Cycle_