During the complete aerobic respiration of tripalmitin, what is the exact ratio of the number of molecules of CO₂ evolved to the number of molecules of O₂ consumed, and what is the corresponding Respiratory Quotient (RQ)?

Step-by-step solution

The Respiratory Quotient (RQ) is the ratio of the volume of CO₂ evolved to the volume of O₂ consumed. For the complete aerobic respiration of the fat tripalmitin ( C₅₁H₉₈O₆ ), the balanced chemical equation as given in NCERT is: 2(C₅₁H₉₈O₆) + 145 O₂ 102 CO₂ + 98 H₂O + energy From the stoichiometry of the reaction, 102 molecules of CO₂ are evolved for every 145 molecules of O₂ consumed. Therefore, the ratio is 102 145 . Calculating the RQ: RQ = 102 145 0.7 Option 1 is incorrect as it represents the inverted ratio (