Use the cellular respiration interactive to you complete the passage. 2,4‑dinitrophenol ( dnp ) was a popular ingredient in diet pills in the 1930s before it was discovered that moderate doses of the compound cause exceptionally high body temperature and even death. complete the passage detailing how dnp 's mechanism of action explains why it causes both high body temperature and weight loss. 2,4‑dinitrophenol ( dnp ) causes to pass directly across the inner mitochondrial membrane instead of returning to the mitochondrial matrix through proteins. because of dnp 's effect on the mitochondrion, less energy is captured in the form of and more energy is instead wasted as heat.