Respiration Experiment

Type of experiment use for respiratory measurement experiment

■ Production of CO 2
■Test for heat energy release during respiration

■The use of O 2
■Moving of the liquid in manometer U-tube
Respiratory Quotient (RQ)
Describe the equation for the aerobic respiration of glucose
State the ratio of gases taken in and given out during respiration
Outline the RQ
Outline why RQ cannot be calculated for mammals
The greater the number of protons  the greater the energy value because oxidation of hydrogen to water when
reduced NAD & reduced FAD are passed to the electron transport chain.
RQ is a measurement, it is a ratio, so it does not have units.
volume of carbon dioxide produced
RQ= per unit time
Volume of oxygen consumed
Example:
51
C 18 H 34 O 2 + O → 18 CO2 +17 H 2 O+ energy
2 2
RQ value calculation of oleic acid:
CO2
RQ=
O2
18
¿ =0.4
25.5
RQ shows the nature of the substrate that use by an organism for respiration.
RQ values are measure by the measurement called respirometer.
Respirometer, measure the movement of the liquid in manometer U-tube
Controlled variables (if the experiment is using organisms)
1. The volume of liquid inside the U-tube
2. The length of the manometer tube
3. The number of organisms stays the same
4. The size of the test tube using must be the same
5. Same amount of glass beads used
6. Color of the liquid in a manometer U-tube (the darker color, the easier the record)
7. Same division of test tubes
8. Control volume of KOH , KOH absorbs CO 2

What will happen, if KOH is added to the test tube and when it is not added?

If KOH is put, then the liquid inside the manometer U-tube will move from left to right, because CO 2 is produced
and not be absorbed so that gas will move to the manometer U-tube and push the liquid from left to right. When there
is no KOH , the liquid then moved from right to left because CO 2 is absorbed by KOH and organisms are using
O 2 from the tube, gas moves to the left, the organisms so the liquid also moves towards the organisms.
Controlled variables (if the experiment is using plants)
 1. Seeds are at the same point of germination
What is the safety and caution rules in this experiment?
When a living organism is caught and experimented on. The organism is under stressful condition so the metabolism
reactions inside the organism is changing. That is why after the experiment, the organism needs to be placed under
suitable conditions to maintain its live. That is why, rules include:

 Reduce their stress as much as possible

 Provide organism with living condition that closes to normal as possible
 After the experiment, organism needs to be put back to its normal living location or take care of the
organism
2. Measuring the release of oxygen
Boiled the seed to stop metabolic activities
because high temperature caused
denaturation in enzyme. The seeds get
boiled is dead and bring in for comparison
with living seeds.
How can we suggest if O 2 is required for the

process of germination?
By using a glowing splint, because the boiled
seeds are not suing O 2 so the glowing splint

will glow brighter. Test tubes with germinating

seeds, the glowing splint blown off because
CO 2 is produced after the process of
respiration
How to make sure that we are measuring the respiration rate of a germinating seed?
Apparatus need to be sterilized by using the 10 % formalin solution. Because outside around the germinating seeds,
there are bacteria & fungi growing on them. So, if the seed is not sterilized, inside of measuring the respiration rate of
the germinating seed, we are measuring the rate of respiration of the bacteria & fungi
3. Anerobic Respiration experiment
Experiment for anerobic respiration, use
yeast.
How can we suggest if CO 2 is

presence, produced after the

experiment?
By placing lime water inside the testing test tube because CaCO3 absorbs & reacts with CO 2 & makes the lime
water turns milky white
The test with CO 2, the specimen must be living organisms or beans, not green plants because plants do
photosynthesis. Negative test

4. The heat release during cellular respiration experiment

Why experiment is invert?
To make sure that the flow oxygen and carbon
dioxide is maintain, normal gases flow for
cellular respiration to happen. CO 2 moves

down and O 2 moves up.

5. Calorimeter
Measure by determined the rise of temperature
of a known mass of water in the calorimeter