If U home brew great topic -
The kids are studying yeast and anerobic respiration - I thought I would have a quick review as it has been years and the rust has set in.. or has it???
Source - 13yo's chemical science theory book
What is wrong with this???
Far from balanced and not exactly anerobic..
(loved the smell of home brew(ing))
Cheers
AP
Why does it state no oxygen is needed yet the chemical equation includes oxygen... If you take it out I think it's balanced isn't it?
Well spotted, AquaPlow, however, IMHO, the text is correct, and the formula is just a bit misleading due to lack of explanations.
My organic chemistry is very rusty, but I strongly suspect that 6O2 is not really meant as inorganic "oxygen", but as a representation of some of the enzymes that happen in yeasts (zymase?).
Anyway, ethanol fermentation is really considered anaerobic.
The reaction is, of course, exothermic, i.e. "energy" (well, heat), gets released, but this does not lead to imbalance. Some reactions just require a bit of energy to be added or removed for them to happen...
Balanced refers to the numbers of carbon / oxygen / hydrogen atoms on the left vs the right side of the equation
You do have to take out the 602 to balance it.
Has nothing to do with energy input or release
The equation is incorrect
