Question

Suppose an animal is oxidizing food according to the following reaction:

1 mol C6H12O6 + 6 mol O2 6 mol CO2 + 6 mol H2O + 2820 kJ/mol.
What is the respiratory exchange ratio?

Answer 1

The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) is the ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen consumption during respiration in the body. It varies depending on the type of fuel being used. When glucose is the sole fuel, the RER is 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) is the ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen consumption during the process of respiration in the body. The RER can vary between 0.7 and 1.0. When glucose is the sole fuel for the body, the RER is 1. This means that one mole of carbon dioxide is produced for every mole of oxygen consumed.

However, the RER can be different when other fuels like protein and fat are used. The actual RER depends on the specific metabolic processes happening in the body.