Biology: Cellular Respiration
Cellular respiration a process in which sugar and oxygen are used to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), water, and carbon dioxide. The chemical equation for this reaction is C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy (ATP). Cellular respiration occurs in 4 steps: Glycolysis, the preparatory reaction, the Krebs Cycle, and the oxidative phosphorylation. Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell, in this process glucose is broken into two 3 Carbon molecules called pyruvates. The preparatory reaction occurs in the matrix of the mitochondria and in this reaction pyruvate get oxidized and attached to a coenzyme. The product is called acetyl CoA which is used to carry out the Krebs Cycle. The Krebs Cycle occurs in the matrix of the mitochondria,
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In order to grow, the seeds need a high amount of ATP because they need to sprout and get bigger. Knowing this we hypothesized that if the germinating seeds consume more oxygen than the dry seeds, then the rate of respiration is higher in germinating seeds. This is because germinating seeds were growing and needed oxygen to produce ATP and continue to grow. The purpose of this was to see the difference in respiration rates of non-germinating seeds and germinating seeds.We did this by using respirometers. This is a device that measures the rate of respiration of a living organism by measuring the rate of exchange of oxygen and/or carbon dioxide. It is composed of a vile that contains the peas and air, the vial is sealed with a rubber stopper and a pipet is inserted into the hole. The set up is explained in the methods section. The way it works is as the peas respire, oxygen is used and carbon dioxide is released. It is important to keep the experiment conditions at a constant temperature and pressure. In doing so, according to Avogadro's Law, one mole of carbon dioxide is released for every mole of oxygen. Thus, there will be no change to the volume in the respirometer. To counteract this issue we add KOH. The following reaction occurs: CO2 + 2KOH —> K2CO3 +H2O. The carbon dioxide that is produced is removed because of the reaction with KOH.
In order to grow, the seeds need a high amount of ATP because they need to sprout and get bigger. Knowing this we hypothesized that if the germinating seeds consume more oxygen than the dry seeds, then the rate of respiration is higher in germinating seeds. This is because germinating seeds were growing and needed oxygen to produce ATP and continue to grow. The purpose of this was to see the difference in respiration rates of non-germinating seeds and germinating seeds.We did this by using respirometers. This is a device that measures the rate of respiration of a living organism by measuring the rate of exchange of oxygen and/or carbon dioxide. It is composed of a vile that contains the peas and air, the vial is sealed with a rubber stopper and a pipet is inserted into the hole. The set up is explained in the methods section. The way it works is as the peas respire, oxygen is used and carbon dioxide is released. It is important to keep the experiment conditions at a constant temperature and pressure. In doing so, according to Avogadro's Law, one mole of carbon dioxide is released for every mole of oxygen. Thus, there will be no change to the volume in the respirometer. To counteract this issue we add KOH. The following reaction occurs: CO2 + 2KOH —> K2CO3 +H2O. The carbon dioxide that is produced is removed because of the reaction with KOH.