Molecules and Processes of Life Activity 6 - Cellular Respiration and Lab Report

Molecules and Processes of Life Activity 6 - Cellular Respiration and the Effects of Pollutants on Its Rate - Lab Report Example The amount of gas emitted at the top of tube was observed to over 10 minutes so as to determine cellular respiration rate. The pollutants used included; vinegar, salt solution, isopropyl alcohol, baking soda, soap solution, and bleach solution. The result for yeast mixture was compared with the results for yeast-sugar mixture. The yeast-sugar mixture exhibited a faster cellular respiration rate. The outcomes of the pollutants had mixed results. Except baking soda, most of the pollutants utilized had a lower cellular respiration rate. According to Carpenter (2013), cellular respiration is a process in which chemical energy in the food is reaped and converted into energy that is utilized in carrying out the normal life process. Every organism requires cellular respiration for survival. This process happens in three distinct phases; glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and electron transport chain. Lippmann (2009) argues that during these cycles, oxygen and glucose in our body are turned into carbon dioxide, energy, and water. The first phase of cellular respiration is when one glucose molecule is split to produce two pyruvic acid molecules, a 3-carbon compound (Schapira, McQuaid & Froneman, 2011). This first phase is anaerobic, implying it does not need oxygen to occur. The remaining phases require oxygen. As such, the experiment was conducted within an oxygen zone and a considerable time frame to allow the three phases of cellular respiration to occur. To test our first hypothesis, the experimental design was such that yeast was mixed with water then poured into a test tube. A wider test tube was placed over the yeast test tube and flipped together over 10 minutes to observe the level of gas amounting in the wider tube. The amount of gas was recorded every minute in the10 minutes. The same was done to a yeast-water mixture but with granulated sugar added into