Final answer:
The student's experiments on gas exchange in seeds were designed to measure the rate of respiration, using potassium hydroxide solution to absorb CO₂ in Experiment 1, and water as a control in Experiment 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Respiration in Seeds
The student investigated gas exchange in aerobically respiring seeds to measure the rate of respiration. In Experiment 1, potassium hydroxide solution was used to absorb carbon dioxide produced by the respiring seeds.
Potassium hydroxide solution serves to maintain a pressure gradient for gas exchange by removing CO₂ from the system, driving more CO₂ out of the seeds according to Dalton's law and Henry's law.
In Experiment 2, water was used in place of potassium hydroxide which would not absorb CO₂ and thus affect the gas exchange dynamics.
Performing both experiments at the same temperature ensured that the results were not influenced by the temperature-dependent nature of enzymes involved in respiration.
This control is crucial as the rate of enzymatic activity and therefore the rate of respiration could vary with temperature, affecting the rate of gas exchange in the seeds.
Understanding these two experiments helps in comprehending the respiratory process where oxygen is consumed and carbon dioxide is produced.
This understanding can be applied to real-life bodily functions such as the exchange of gases across the alveoli where the partial pressures of O₂ and CO₂ regulate gas movement.