Final answer:
Glucose is not a respiratory gas, but a simple sugar vital for energy production in the form of ATP. Oxygen is used to oxidize glucose in cellular respiration, and carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that glucose is a respiratory gas needed for life is false. Glucose is a vital source of energy for the body, particularly as the primary molecule broken down to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is required for proper cellular function. However, glucose is not a gas; it is a simple sugar with the chemical formula C6H12O6. The primary respiratory gases involved in cellular respiration are oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is essential for oxidizing glucose in the process of cellular respiration, and carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product.
Oxygen is used by cells to break down glucose during cellular respiration, producing energy in the form of ATP. In this process, for each mole of glucose utilised, approximately one mole of oxygen would be consumed and one mole of carbon dioxide produced if glucose was the only fuel used. However, alongside glucose, fats and proteins can also be metabolised as fuel sources, affecting the respiratory quotient (RQ).