Lab Experiment: The Effect of Temperature and Respiration

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Introduction: Respiration commonly known as the inhalation and exhaling or breathing has a more little known definition. This is the definition that involves the cellular level of eukaryotic cells. Cellular respiration may best be described by the following equation: C6h1206+602-6CO2+6H20+36ATP. ATP that is the energy needed for a cell to function as part of cellular respiration. ATP is needed to power the cell processes. If cells are denied energy they will die. The second law of thermal dynamics says energy is lost in the form of heat whenever energy changes form. ATP is stored. Glucose produced C02, water and ATP. Respiration may be said to be a controlled breakdown of glucose that produces ATP for cell activities to be carried out. The purpose of the lab was to show the effect of temperature on the rate of respiration. Temperature increases the rate of reaction between molecules this will have a profound impact on the rate of respiration. Rate is determined on how fast something is being consumed in a reaction, or how fast something is being crated. The rate of respiration is measured the easiest by the amount of C02 produced by the reaction or by the amount of 02 consumed. The best way to measure gasses is by creating a closed system for an experiment to take place. Consuming oxygen would decrease the volume of gas while the production of CO2 will increase the production of gas. By using this principle the measurement of an organisms volume if it absorbs CO2 released in respiration can be attributed to the consumption of oxygen. Hypothesis: If the temperature increases, then the respiration rate will also increase. The respiration rate will increase because more activity is going on. Experiment: The experiment a simple respirometer will be used in this experiment to detect changes in gas volume. Changes of volume will be measured at five different temperature levels and compared. A chamber will be constructed using respiring material (peas) and a carbon dioxide absorbing agent. Gas volumes may be influence by outside factors like air and pressure and temperature. A second chamber used as a control will be used to measure any changes due to air pressure or temp that are out of a controlled experiments control. The Procedure: I prepared two large test tubes each should have an inch of KOH pellets on the bottom of the tube. Next a cotton ball is placed in each of the two test tubes

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