Overview:
The oxidation of one molecule of palmitic acid involves a series of metabolic reactions known as beta-oxidation. This process occurs in the mitochondria and results in the production of acetyl-CoA, which enters the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle) to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.

Detailed Explanation:
Below is a step-by-step breakdown of the oxidation of palmitic acid and the ATP yield at each stage.

1. Activation: Palmitic acid is activated in the cytoplasm by attaching Coenzyme A (CoA) to form palmitoyl-CoA. This step consumes one ATP molecule.

2. Transport into the mitochondria: Palmitoyl-CoA is then transported into the mitochondria, where beta-oxidation occurs.

3. Beta-oxidation: The beta-oxidation process involves four main reactions repeated until the entire palmitoyl-CoA molecule is cleaved into eight acetyl-CoA molecules. Each cycle of beta-oxidation consists of the following steps:
- Dehydrogenation: The first step involves the removal of two hydrogen atoms from the beta-carbon of the fatty acid chain, resulting in the formation of a double bond. This step produces one molecule of FADH2.
- Hydration: In this step, water is added to the double bond, forming a hydroxyl group.
- Dehydrogenation: Another dehydrogenation step occurs, removing two hydrogen atoms from the beta-carbon adjacent to the hydroxyl group. This step produces one molecule of NADH.
- Thiolysis: The final step involves the cleavage of the fatty acid chain by the enzyme thiolase, resulting in the formation of an acetyl-CoA molecule and a shortened fatty acid chain.

4. Production of Acetyl-CoA: Through the repeated cycles of beta-oxidation, one molecule of palmitic acid is ultimately converted into eight molecules of acetyl-CoA.

5. Citric Acid Cycle: Each acetyl-CoA molecule enters the citric acid cycle, where it undergoes a series of reactions that generate three molecules of NADH, one molecule of FADH2, and one molecule of GTP (which can be converted to ATP).

6. Oxidative Phosphorylation: The NADH and FADH2 molecules produced in the citric acid cycle enter the electron transport chain, where they donate electrons. This leads to the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. The exact yield of ATP molecules varies, but on average, each NADH molecule generates approximately 2.5 ATP molecules, and each FADH2 molecule generates approximately 1.5 ATP molecules.

Calculating the ATP Yield:
Considering the above steps, we can calculate the net ATP yield from the oxidation of one molecule of palmitic acid as follows:

- Activation: -1 ATP
- Beta-oxidation: 7 cycles * (1 FADH2 + 1 NADH) = 14 FADH2 + 14 NADH
- Citric Acid Cycle: 8 acetyl-CoA * (3 NADH + 1