ABSTRACT
Nothing happens without energy. It allows all procedures from the simplest to the most complex to be carried out. The energy requirement of movement, like walking, is intuitive. Breathing, however, implies an energy transformation such as the oxidation of a fuel, like sugar, a process similar to combustion in an engine. When gasoline is burned with air it produces mostly carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen:
C8H18 + 12.5(O2 + 3.76N2) → 8CO2 + 9H2O + 47N2 (8.1)
During this reaction, the gasoline releases chemical energy and pollutants.
