Question

Callie did a lab during which she investigated the difference in cellular respiration rates between two different types of corn: germinating and non-germinating. A germinating seed is one from which a plant has started to grow. A non-germinating seed is usually dry and a new plant has not yet emerged. The data that she gathered are displayed in the graph.

After Callie obtained her original results, she wanted to dig deeper. She determined that the germinating corn seed had utilized 100 molecules of glucose in the first few seconds that she performed the experiment. If these data are accurate, how many carbon dioxide molecules would Callie expect to have been released as a waste during this same amount of time? Explain how you arrived at your answer. The formula for cellular respiration is shown below.
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

Answer 1

If the germinating corn seed utilized 100 molecules of glucose in cellular respiration, the expected number of carbon dioxide molecules released would be 600, following the balanced equation for cellular respiration (6 moles of CO2 produced for every mole of glucose).

In cellular respiration, glucose is oxidized to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy. The balanced chemical equation for cellular respiration is C6​H12​O 6​+6O2​→6CO2​+6H2O+energy. Each molecule of glucose (C6H12O6) yields 6 molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the process.

Callie determined that the germinating corn seed utilized 100 molecules of glucose. Applying the stoichiometry of the cellular respiration equation, the expected number of carbon dioxide molecules released can be calculated by multiplying the number of glucose molecules utilized (100) by the ratio of CO2 molecules produced per glucose molecule (6).

100molecules of glucose×6CO2 molecules per glucose=600molecules of CO2

Therefore, if Callie's data on glucose utilization are accurate, she would expect 600 molecules of carbon dioxide to be released as a waste during the same amount of time in the germinating corn seed's cellular respiration process. This calculation follows the principles of stoichiometry, which describe the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in a chemical reaction.