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RP9 Yeast

This document outlines an investigation into how temperature affects the rate of respiration in yeast cultures, hypothesizing that higher temperatures will accelerate the process. The methodology includes setting up a water bath, measuring the time for methylene blue to turn colorless, and calculating respiration rates. Ethical considerations and risk assessments are also discussed, highlighting the importance of enzyme activity and potential limitations in measuring the reaction's endpoint.

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6 views3 pages

RP9 Yeast

This document outlines an investigation into how temperature affects the rate of respiration in yeast cultures, hypothesizing that higher temperatures will accelerate the process. The methodology includes setting up a water bath, measuring the time for methylene blue to turn colorless, and calculating respiration rates. Ethical considerations and risk assessments are also discussed, highlighting the importance of enzyme activity and potential limitations in measuring the reaction's endpoint.

Uploaded by

18amuir
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Required Practical 9: Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of

respiration of cultures of single-celled organisms.

Hypothesis: The methylene blue will take longer to turn colourless when the temperature
is further from the optimum temperature due to a slower rate of respiration. The higher the
temperature, the faster the colour change should occur due to an increase in the likelihood
of frequent successful particle collisions because of the increase in kinetic energy.

Variables:

- Control = volume of yeast, concentration of methylene blue


- Independent = temperature of yeast solution in each test tube by placing them in
varying water baths
- Dependent = time taken for solution in each test tube to become colourless with
increasing temperatures

Equipment:

- Methylene Blue Solution


- Yeast and glucose in buffered solution
- Water bath/ Kettle
- Thermometer/temperature probe
- Test tubes
- Test Tube Rack
- Timer
- Syringes
- Black Marker Pen
- Thermometer
- Bung

Method:

1. Use a beaker to set up a water bath at 55°C


2. Label five test tubes 1 to 5
3. Shake the yeast and glucose mixture
4. Add 2cm^3 of the yeast and glucose mixture to all fived tubes
5. Place all five tubes in the water bath and leave until the contents reach to 55°C
6. Make sure the water bath stays at 55°C
7. Add 2cm^3 methylene blue to test tube 1 (incubate glucose and methylene blue in
beaker to acclimatise to 55°C)
8. Immediately shake this tube for 10 seconds and replace the tube in the water bath
and note the time but don’t shake the tube again.
9. Record how long it takes for the blue colour to disappear in the tube
10. Repeat steps 7-9 for the other four tubes and steps 1-9 at each temperature
11. Find the mean value of the results for each temperature and use it to calculate the
average rate of respiration.

Respiration Rate = 1 / mean time

Ethical Consideration:

The ethical issues surrounding fermentation include questions around human control and
the regulation of microbial life being utilised in human life. Yeast is a single celled fungus
that has the ability to respire aerobically and anaerobically so ethicists may argue over the
sustainability in the environment for positive/ negative impacts.

Risk Assessment:

Hazard Risk Safety Precaution Risk Level


Methylene Blue Staining, irritant to Wear gloves, eye Low
eyes goggles
Hot Water Burns, scalding Handle with care High
with tongs, eye
protection
Glass Cuts from sharp Take care and keep Low
objects away from ends of
desks

Limitations:

Distinguishing the end of the reaction and the colour change is subjective and therefore
one person should be used to attempt to control this. This experiment is not measuring the
rate of dehydrogenase activity directly (through measuring the rate of substrate use or
product made) but is instead predicting what the rate would be measuring the rate of
electron / hydrogen release from the reactions of respiration

Conclusion:
Yeast has an optimum temperature range for respiration, which is shown by the peak on
the graph. As the temperature moves away from the optimum, the rate of reaction will
decrease as enzyme action decreases, and at high temperatures denaturation may occur.
As enzymes are crucial to respiration, as their activity decreases, so does the rate of
respiration. This means that the methylene blue will take
longer to turn colourless when the temperature is further from the optimum. The rate of
reaction did increase as the temperature increased.

References:
Estruch, M. (2020). Respiration A-level Required Practical: Effect of temperature on
dehydrogenase in yeast using TTC. YouTube. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLzBYTQkTlI.

BBC (2021). Effect of surface area on rate - Factors that affect the rate of reaction -
GCSE Chemistry (Single Science) Revision - WJEC. [online] BBC Bitesize. Available at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zjs9dxs/revision/3.

AQA Biology A-Level Required Practical 9. (n.d.). Available at:


https://pmt.physicsandmathstutor.co.uk/download/Biology/A-
level/Notes/AQA/Practical-
Skills/RP%2009%20-%20Respiration%20in%20Single%20Celled%20Organisms.pdf.

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