Page 114 - A Chain of Miracles

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THE SOLUBILITY OF OXYGEN IS IDEAL FOR LIFE
Our bodies’ ability to absorb oxygen is due, in turn, to
water’s ability to absorb it. When we breathe, the oxygen inhaled
into our lungs enters our bloodstream almost instantly. In our
blood, the protein called hemoglobin transports oxygen to the
cells. Enzymes in cells, in turn, use the oxygen to burn carbon
compounds called ATP to release energy.
All complex life forms produce their energy by this system,
which depends on oxygen’s solubility properties of. If oxygen
were any harder to dissolve, less of it could enter the blood-
stream, and cells would be starved of energy. On the other hand,
if oxygen were more readily soluble, its content in the blood-

stream would increase enough to cause oxidation poisoning.
Interestingly, the water solubility of different gases can vary
a million fold. Carbon dioxide, for instance, is 20 times more sol-
uble than oxygen. Among the vast range of solubility properties
of gases, oxygen has just the right solubility properties for us.
What would happen if it were otherwise?
Were oxygen less soluble in water (and therefore, in blood),
less of it could enter the bloodstream, and cells would not re-
ceive enough oxygen—making survival more difficult for air-

breathing creatures. No matter how much we breathed, gradu-
ally we would be starved of oxygen because sufficient quantities
of what the air contained could not be delivered to the cells.
As stated above, if oxygen were more readily absorbed into
the bloodstream, oxidation poisoning would occur. Oxygen can
be a highly dangerous gas and deadly if taken in higher doses.

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