The chemical element essential for energy production in human cells, often associated with cellular respiration, is oxygen.

Oxygen

Oxygen plays a vital role in cellular respiration, a biochemical process that occurs in the cells of nearly all living organisms to produce energy. By acting as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain, oxygen enables the conversion of glucose into ATP, the energy molecule used by cells. Its presence is thus crucial for sustaining life and carrying out metabolic activities. The importance of oxygen in cellular respiration underscores the dependency of life as we know it on this essential chemical element.