Question

Suppose that an animal inhales a radioactive isotope of oxygen whose location can be traced in the animal. Where would the radioactive oxygen atoms eventually show up?

Answer 1

Answer-

According to the given question-

We know that photosynthesis and respiration play an important role in green plants because by photosynthesis they make their own food in presence of light and carbon dioxide. Thay releases oxygen at byproduct during the photosynthesis. The oxygen that are released are comes from the photolysis of water at Photosystem II of light reaction.

During respiration the food such as glucose are broken down to get energy in the form of ATP. The breakdown of glucose occurred through the several series of reaction that are occurred in different parts of cell. Such as glycolysis occurred in cytosol to produce pyruvate molecule which are converted into acetyl co A and later it enter into citric acid cycle takes place in matrix of mitochondria to produce molecule of FADH2 as well as NADH which are later reduced in electron transport chain to form ATP.

In electron transport chain there are several complex through which the electron from the glucose are travelled and the terminal electron acceptor in electron transport chain is oxygen molecule which converted into wate.

So according to the information given in the question animal inhales a radioactive isotope of oxygen whose location can be traced in the animal because the inhaled radioactive molecule of oxygen will work as final electron acceptor and converted into water. So the radioactive atom of oxygen is converted into water and this radioactive water is released from animal to the environment when cellular respiration occur.