Question

How much carbon dioxide is exhaled if an animal inhales 32.0 g `O_2`?

Answer 1

Unknown..........

Explanation:

We might naïvely think that we expire an equivalent quantity of carbon dioxide.....i.e. `"moles of dioxygen"-=(32.0*g)/(32.0*g*mol^-1)=1*mol`, and thus `1.0*molxx44.0*g*mol^-1=44.0*g` carbon dioxide expired........

The fact is that not all the dioxygen gas is reduced by our metabolism. How do we know this? Well, we can demonstrably give the kiss of life to someone who is having breathing difficulties, and our expired air contains enuff dioxygen to keep someone from asphyxiating.

By the way, if you haven't been trained in CPR, `"cardiopulmonary resuscitation"`, this is something you should be trained in; the life you save might be mine.