The adventure of Oliver the Oxygen
An O2 molecule on its adventure to a human muscle cell
1. Carbon Dioxide is inhaled into plants.
2. Carbon Dioxide, sunlight, and water go through photosynthesis.
3. At the end of photosynthesis, glucose and Oxygen are created.
4. The plant exhales the oxygen.
This is the birth of Olivier. Olivier's story begins now...
5. Oliver the oxygen enters into the nose or the mouth.
The darkness engulfs me as I float into a human mouth.
6. Oliver Travels through the pharynx(throat) and the larynx(Vocal Cords)
I travel through the dark narrowed passage in front of me. This tube(Pharynx) i enter, then leads me to go down a muscular structure(larynx).
The Pharynx
The Pharynx is the throat.
The Larynx
The larynx is the vocal cords.
The Trachea
The trachea is a windpipe.
7. Oliver enters the Trachea(Windpipe).
I travel down a dark tube, surrounded by rings of cartilage, I think I just entered the Trachea.
8. Oliver enters Bronchi(2 pathways that each lead to 1 of the lungs).
I float down into a pathway, that seems to lead to the lungs.
9. Later the pathway continues to divide into smaller and smaller bronchioles until it reaches the end- a tiny air sac called an alveoli.
These pathways i travel through seem to be dividing. Ahh! Now I am in a tiny sac.
10. Oliver diffuses into blood and Carry the Carbon can diffuse out of the blood and enter into the lungs to get exhaled.
As i wait in the Alveoli, i start to make my way out and see blood engulfing me, I think I just got diffused into the blood.
(Each alveoli is surrounded by many capillaries so oxygen just inhaled into the lungs can diffuse into blood.)
11. Now that the oxygen is in the blood, it travels to the heart.
I arrive at an organ that appears to be the heart.
12. Then the oxygen is pumped to a muscle cell to get converted to energy
I start moving down a artery?? and I arrive at a cell.