3.

Living without oxygen:

Respiration with oxygen

Organisms get energy by respiration. Normally, glucose is broken down in the
presence of oxygen int carbon dioxide and water. This is aerobic respiration.
Word equation:
Enzymes
Glucose + Oxygen  carbon dioxide + water + Energy

Respiration without oxygen:

In some cases, sugars can be broken down to release energy in the absence of
oxygen. This is called anaerobic respiration.
This occurs in several kinds of organisms and end products vary according to
organism.

Anaerobic respiration with yeast:

Yeast respires without oxygen breaking down sugars to ethanol and carbon
dioxide.
Word equation:
Enzymes
Glucose  carbon dioxide + Ethanol + Energy
This process is called alcoholic fermentation.

Like in aerobic respiration:

- Glucose is broken down to release energy.
- Energy is released.
- Enzymes are needed and carbon dioxide is produced in yeast.

Unlike in aerobic respiration:

- Oxygen isn’t needed.
- Ethanol is produced in aerobic respiration.
- Less energy is released sine most energy is still stored in the ethanol.

Experiment:
To observe that anaerobic respiration in yeast produced carbon dioxide.
- Some glucose solution is placed in a test tube.
- Glucose is boiled to expel all the dissolved oxygen.
- When cool yeast is added to glucose.
- A thin layer of oil is poured onto the moisture to stop oxygen from
getting to yeast.
 - A delivery tube is fitted and allowed to dip into clear lime water.
- A control can be setup, which is identical to the above but having no
yeast or yeast that has been killed by boiling.
- The 2 setups are left to stand for about 10-15 minutes.

Precautions:
- Glucose is stirred very gently.
- Rubber bung is air-tight not to let the carbon dioxide escape.
- Layer of oil is poured on top to prevent oxygen from escaping.
- Glucose is boiled to remove oxygen.

Result:
In the tube containing the live yeast-glucose mixture:
- Bubbles of gas are seen escaping through the lime water turning it milky.
- The contents of the test tube may feel warm and a smell of alcohol.
In the control, no bubbles are seen, the limewater does not turn milky and no
smell of alcohol.

Interpretation:
The fact that lime water turns milky shows that yeast-glucose mixture is
producing carbon dioxide. Since oxygen was removed from the yeast-glucose
mixture by boiling and liquid paraffin prevented air from entering the mixture,
any respiration must be anaerobic. In fact, the smell of alcohol is also present.
In the control, failure to produce carbon dioxide confirms that it was a living
process in the yeast that made the carbon dioxide has been given off.

Making bread:
Yeast is added to a mixture of flour and water which is then made into a dough.
1. Yeast has no enzymes for digesting starch. However, addition of water
activates enzymes already present in flour and this digest some of the
starch to sugar.
2. The yeast respires anaerobically and ferments sugar to alcohol and
carbon dioxide.
 3. Carbon dioxide bubbles in the bread dough make it rise
4. When dough is placed in hot oven, heat evaporates and alcohol kills
yeast but makes the trapped bubbles expand giving the bread ‘light
texture’

Making wine:
1. Grapes are crushed to extract juice.
2. Yeast is added.
- When oxygen gets used up, it respires anaerobically and changes
grape sugar to alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide  this is
fermentation.
- When alcohol content rises to 10-15%, the yeast dies.

Making beer:
Beer is made from barley.
1. A sugary solution is dissolved out of germinating barley grains.
1. The sugary solution is boiled with hops.
- These stop growth of bacteria and give beer its bitter flavour.
2. Yeast is added to the sugary solution.
- Enzymes in the yeast convert maltose to glucose.
- When the oxygen gets used up, anaerobic respiration takes over
and glucose is broken down to ethanol and carbon dioxide 
fermentation.

Making vinegar:
1. Crushed barley is fermented with yeast to produce a rough kind of ‘beer’.
This process is very similar to that used in beer brewing.
2. Aerobic bacteria are used to make vinegar from this ‘beer’. These
bacteria respire aerobically and convert the alcohol in the ‘beer’
ethanoic acid or vinegar.

Alcohol + oxygen  acetic acid + water + energy

Aerobic respiration in bacteria:

Many kinds of bacteria can respire without oxygen; they respire anaerobically
will enter and are called anaerobic bacteria. They ferment sugars, but the end-
product vary.
- Bacteria that produce lactic acid area used to make yogur, cheese,
butter, and silage.
 - Some anaerobic bacteria produce methane, which releases heat
energy when burned. This gas may be used to fuel sewage
treatment plants.

Making yoghurt:
Milk is used to make other dairy products must first be pasteurized which
destroys harmful bacteria, such as those that cause undulant fever.

To make yogurt, anaerobic bacteria are added to milk.

- These bacteria act on the milk sugar, lactose, and convert it to
lactic acid.
- The acid causes the milk proteins to stick together, such that milk
curdles and gets to the creamy consistency of yogurt.
the lactic acid gives the yogurt its sour taste.

Making butter:
Butter can be made by churning sour cream.

Making silage:
Silage is undecayed grass; it is used for feeding animals on farms in winter. The
grass is prevented from decaying by lactic acid produced by anaerobic bacteria.

Getting rid of sewage:

Sewage is got rid of in a sewage treatment plant using bacteria:
1. Removal of large solids and grid
2. Separation of slug
Sewage is pumped into first setting tank.
Solid matter sinks to the bottom forming sludge.
3. Breakdown of sludge
Sludge is sent to sludge digester.
Anaerobic bacteria break it down to from methane used as fuel to supply
power to run the sewage plant.
The digested sludge can be used as a fertilizer.
4. Breakdown of fluid waste in aeration tank
The liquid part of sewage is pumped into a long pipe with holes in it.
This sprinkles the liquid onto a bed of broken stones called a filter bed.
The stones are coated with aerobic bacteria. So, oxygen must be pumped
into this tank.
The aerobic bacteria break down organic matter into simple substances
like carbon dioxide, nitrogen salts and nitrogen gas.
 Liquid is then treated with chlorine to kill any harmful bacteria.
5. Removal of bacteria
In the second settling tank, the dead bacteria settle out as sludge.
6. Effluent is discharged.
The purified effluent is clean enough to be released into a river, lake, ect.

Anaerobic respiration in animals:

Some animals living in places having little or no oxygen also respire
anaerobically. They break down glucose into lactic acid. Carbon dioxide is not
given off.
Enzymes
Glucouse  Lactic acid + energy

Some organisms that respire anaerobically are:

- Worms living in mud at the bottom of stagnant lakes.
- Diving mammals that stay under water for long periods
- Parasites like tapeworm that lives in the gut.

Anaerobic respiration may also occur in human muscle cells during strenuous
exercise.
During exercise:
- Our muscles need extra energy, so aerobic respiration becomes
faster
- More oxygen and glucose are needed for respiration
- So we breathe faster to take in more oxygen and our heart beat
increases to pump more oxygen and glucose to muscles cells.

During strenuous exercise:

 We cannot breathe fast enough, nor pump or blood quickly enough, to
get enough oxygen to our muscles.
 So, the muscles produce energy anaerobically, making lactic acid.
 Lactic acid is a mild poison; it causes muscle fatigue and cramps.
 Then, after the exercise has stopped, we have to get rid of the lactic
acid.
 Lactic acid is taken by the blood to the liver.
 In the liver, it I broken down to carbon dioxide and water. Oxygen is
needed for this; this oxygen is called the oxygen depth.
 So, even after exercise has stopped, we still require extra oxygen for a
time to break down the lactic acid. This is why we pant faster and our
heart rate increases.