Video Transcript
Which of the following gases is
produced by aerobic respiration? (A) Sulfur dioxide, (B) carbon
monoxide, (C) carbon dioxide, (D) oxygen, or (E) hydrogen.
Respiration is the cellular process
whereby glucose is broken down to release energy in the form of adenosine
triphosphate, or ATP for short. Just like animal cells, plant cells
are capable of two types of respiration: aerobic, which requires oxygen, and
anaerobic, which doesn’t require oxygen. This question is asking us about
aerobic respiration, which is the more common type. So let’s have a look at it in more
detail.
You may recall that aerobic
respiration takes place in organelles called mitochondria. Let’s see the equation for the
chemical reaction that happens here. From this equation, we can see that
glucose reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy in the form
of ATP. The substances shown to the left of
the arrow are known as the reactants because they are present at the start of the
reaction. And the substances shown to the
right of the arrow are known as the products because they are produced during the
reaction.
Now, let’s return to our
question. The only two gases involved in
aerobic respiration are carbon dioxide and oxygen. And the question is asking us to
decide which one is produced by the reaction. We know that oxygen is a
reactant. Therefore, the gas which is
produced by aerobic respiration is (C) carbon dioxide.
