Reactants:
* Glucose (C6H12O6): The primary fuel source for cellular respiration. It's a simple sugar that's broken down to release energy.
* Oxygen (O2): Essential for the process to occur. It's used to accept electrons during the final stages of respiration.
Products:
* Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A waste product of cellular respiration that's exhaled.
* Water (H2O): Another waste product formed during the process.
* ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate): The main energy currency of cells. ATP is used to power various cellular activities like muscle contraction, protein synthesis, and active transport.
Here's a simplified equation to illustrate the overall process:
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water + ATP
In summary: Cellular respiration takes in glucose and oxygen as reactants and uses them to produce energy in the form of ATP, while releasing carbon dioxide and water as waste products.