How does the lungs know which is O2 and CO2? We breathe a ton of different gasses daily but what happens to the other gases other than O2 and CO2 when inhaled?

Question

How does the lungs know which is O2 and CO2? We breathe a ton of different gasses daily but what happens to the other gases other than O2 and CO2 when inhaled?

In: 729

Answer 1

Our cells are very complex chemical reactors. The cells in our lungs engage the O2 molecules in chemical reactions in order to take them, but don’t engage the molecules of other gases.