Oxygen is essential to our survival, and yet this toxic, mutagenic, and highly reactive gas also has the capacity to destroy us. The destructive side of oxygen is called oxidation. Slow oxidation turns cut apples brown and hard metal brittle with rust. Rapid oxidation destroys things more quickly, in an exothermic chemical process of combustion, otherwise known as fire. Oxygen is a highly reactive element because it’s missing two electrons. That means it’s constantly looking to gobble up electrons from other elements, changing molecules and chemicals in the process. It’s inherently unstable, and that nature makes it both dangerous and essential. Our cells rely on oxygen’s reactive nature to drive organic chemical reactions that create the special energy they need for everything from muscle contraction to chemical synthesis. Just like the fire that heats our home, oxidation can go wrong in our bodies as well, and rather than providing us …