Why Do We Breathe Oxygen?

The air we breathe is comprised of a variety of molecules of which only 20.9% is oxygen.
The average person breathes in approximately 432 liters of oxygen per day (this is
equivalent to 1216 cans of soda). The tissues of the body need a minimum of 352.8 liters of
oxygen per day, and this is assuming the person is at rest. The brain, which is only 2% of the
body mass, needs almost 20% of the oxygen that is brought in. If the brain doesnt receive
oxygen for more than 3 minutes, the cells will begin to die. Once brain cells cease to
function, permanent damage sets in.

It is a common understanding that without oxygen (O2) we will die. Hold your breath for too
long and you will feel light headed. But many dont understand why we need oxygen. Why
cant we just use carbon dioxide or some sort of other gas to survive? In order to get to the
bottom of this, we have to take a look at how our body makes energy.

The body needs energy and the energy that the body requires is known as ATP (adenosine
triphosphate). It is a chemical energy that the enzymes of the body recognize. Give cells
another form of chemical energy like gasoline, and the cells wont know what to do with it.
Its like hooking up an iPod to a car battery. Sure, the battery has energy, but not the type of
energy the iPod can use.

Our cells work very hard to make ATP. Cells without ATP simply stop functioning and die.
Its the same thing as taking the batteries out of your television remote. It just wont work
anymore. At any given time, a cell contains about 1 billion ATP. An active cell will use
approximately 2 million ATP per second. In terms of weight, all of the ATP in our bodies
weighs around 50g. Interestingly enough of the 2500 calories we bring in per day, that will
make up to 180 kg of ATP. But, the nice thing about ATP is that it is like a rechargeable
battery. Once it is used, it can be reassembled to be used again.

If ATP is so important, how do we make it? One of the reasons we eat is to recharge the
ATP. The major source of energy for the body comes from sugar. We eat the sugar, digest it
into smaller sugar molecules then send these molecules to our cells. At the cellular level, the
sugar molecule (more commonly referred as glucose) is sent through a series of chemical
reactions to strip it free of electrons. These electrons, which have a negative charge, are
shuttled to a series of proteins (electron transport chain) embedded in a specialized
organelle called the mitochondria. The electrons are dropped off then travel from one protein
to the next. This flow of electrons forces some of these proteins to do the job they were
designed to do: serve as a chemical pump. Essentially, this is electricity within a cell. These
proteins pump hydrogen ions (H+) from one compartment of the mitochondria to another.

After awhile, a high number of hydrogen ions are crammed into one area of the mitochondria
and want to flow to the other area that is now low in hydrogen ions. But the only way they
can get back to the other area is through a specialized protein called ATP synthase. When
the H+ pass through it, they cause the ATP synthase to turn much like water through a
sprinkler head. This spinning action in essence reassembles the ATP molecule, recharging
it, if you will. This protein is so effective that it can make approximately 600 ATP per second.
Amazing.

So you might be wondering, if this article is about oxygen, where does it come in? Im getting
to it. In order for electricity to work, the electrons must continue to flow. If they dont flow, the
pumps dont work. If the pumps dont work, the H+ cant get forced to one compartment of
the mitochondria. If these ions cant get into that compartment, then they cant flow back
through the ATP synthase to recharge more ATP. If ATP is not made, the cells don't have
energy to do work. If cells cant do work, they die.

Electrons dont jump out of the electron transport chain. They flow through and wait to be
picked up. If they are picked up, more electrons can flow through. If nothing comes to
remove the electrons, then a traffic jam occurs and the electrons no longer flow. Its like
cutting an electrical cord. Stopping the flow of electrons, stops the function of the device.

Oxygen loves to steal electrons. It is a chemical that is extremely electronegative, meaning it

has a high attraction for electrons. The reason for its electronegativity is because of its
atomic structure. Ill save the chemistry for another day. Regardless, each molecule of
oxygen gas (O2) will pick up 4 electrons and 4 hydrogen ions. This will form 2 molecules of
water (H2O). Yes, believe it or not, you actually make water. Once the electrons are
removed from the end of the chain, more electrons can keep on flowing leading to the
recharging of more ATP. Thus, if you hold your breath, you are preventing oxygen from
picking up electrons and you'll feel light headed because the cells can't function properly.

The human has evolved an advanced system to ensure you get enough of the much needed
gas by setting up a method to bring in the air, creating a mechanism in the brain to sense
when to breathe, designing specialized cells whose entire purpose is to carry oxygen,
utilizing electrons as opposed to other chemicals, and setting it up such that when electrons
are picked up harmless water is made. It all seems so perfect, too perfect. Maybe it is.

At the end of the day, the entire reason you breathe oxygen is because this gas loves to pick
up electrons.