BRAINCAKERespiratory Quotient
The respiratory quotient (RQ) is the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide produced to the volume of oxygen used in respiration, in the same time:
RQ = CO2 produced ÷ O2 consumed
RQ has no units, because it is a ratio of two volumes (or numbers of molecules). Equal volumes of gases contain equal numbers of molecules, so RQ can be worked out from the balanced equation for the respiration of a substrate.
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More in Respiration
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- Respiration of Lipids
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- Calculating RQ
- Measuring RQ with a Respirometer
All 19 lessons in Respiration · All OCR A-level Biology topics