Scientific Paper-Alcoholic Fermentation

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ABSTRACT The question to be asked in this laboratory experiment is if the rate of anaerobic respiration, alcoholic fermentation, is affected by a change in temperature. This question can be further researched by drawing the hypothesis that if temperature is above or below room temperature there will be an affect on this process of alcoholic fermentation. Overall, the purpose of this experiment is to test the hypothesis to see if varying temperature affects the rate of alcoholic fermentation or anaerobic respiration. The experimental design is an overall basic setup; there is a mixture of yeast, corn syrup, and water that is of equal ratio in all three fermentation tubes. After covering the open ends to the fermentation tubes and the entire mixture flows into the measuring portion of the device one tube is put in either an ice bath, boiling water, or stays at room temperature. The amount of carbon dioxide gas that appears at the top of the tube is measured for 30 minutes at 5 minute intervals and is repeated twice for each temperature condition. The basic methodology behind this experimental setup is that since the water, yeast, and corn syrup are mixed in a closed tube they will undergo anaerobic respiration and produce carbon dioxide gas. This production is predicted to be affected by temperature and will be measured based on how much carbon dioxide is produced in the 30 minute time span. The major findings of this experiment were that overall, the higher the temperature, the higher the rate of anaerobic respiration and alcoholic fermentation. The ice water ended at .41ml and .42ml, the room temperature at 1.2ml and 1.3 ml, and the boiling water at 2.2ml and 2.3ml. Over the time period all of the tubes at varying temperatures increased gradually over time. These results answer the question that temperature does affect the rate of the reaction and supports the
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