Whenever you run, you find yourself panting heavily, so that your muscles can obtain oxygen at a faster rate. This fact is known to people of all ages, and is covered under respiratory studies in Biology as well.

However, they say that Biology is simply applied Chemistry. Did you know that Le Chatelier’s Principle can be used to explain this phenomenon as well?

When you run, your muscles require plenty of oxygen. Oxygen is carried in the bloodstream by means of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin binds to oxygen via the following process:

Deoxyhaemoglobin + O₂ ⇌ Oxyhaemoglobin

When you breathe faster, the partial pressure of O₂ in your body slowly increases. To reduce this increase in partial pressure, the equilibrium position will shift to the right. This produces a higher concentration of oxyhaemoglobin, so that your muscles can obtain more O₂ for aerobic respiration.

So now that you know a bit more about exercising, have fun with your next run!