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Tugas Termokimia 2

How a Bombardier Beetle Defends Itself

S urvival techniques of insects and small animals in a fiercely competitive environment take many forms. For example,

chameleons have developed the ability to change color to match their surroundings and the butterfly Limenitis has evolved
into a form that mimics the poisonous and unpleasant-tasting monarch butterfly (Danaus). A less passive defense mechanism
is employed by bombardier beetles (Brachinus), which repel predators with a “chemical spray.” The bombardier beetle has a
pair of glands at the tip of its abdomen. Each gland consists of two compartments. The inner compartment contains an
aqueous solution of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, and the outer compartment holds a mixture of enzymes.
(Enzymes are biological molecules that can speed up a reaction.) When threatened, the beetle squeezes some fluid from the
inner compartment into the outer compartment, where, in the presence of the enzymes, an exothermic reaction
takes place:

A bombardier beetle discharging a chemical spray

Recalling Hess’s law, find the heat of reaction for (a) ?

The large amount of heat generated is sufficient to bring the mixture to its boiling point. By rotating the tip of its abdomen,
the beetle can quickly discharge the vapor in the form of a fine mist toward an unsuspecting predator. In addition to the
thermal effect, the quinones also act as a repellent to other insects and animals. One bombardier beetle carries enough
reagents to produce 20 to 30 discharges in quick succession, each with an audible detonation.