 In chemolithotrophs, the compounds - the electron donors - are oxidized in the cell, and the electrons are channeled into respiratory chains, ultimately producing ATP.The electron acceptor can be oxygen (in aerobic bacteria), but a variety of other electron acceptors, organic and inorganic, are also used by various species.Aerobic bacteria such as the nitrifying bacteria, "Nitrobacter", utilize oxygen to oxidize nitrite to nitrate.