ERIC Number: EJ1453372
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1935-7877
EISSN: EISSN-1935-7885
Demystifying Anaerobic Respiration: A Problem-Solving Exercise
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, v25 n3 2024
Anaerobic respiration reactions are of fundamental importance to global biogeochemical cycling of elements. Yet, the idea that cellular respiration can occur not only in the absence of oxygen but also involve the oxidation of inorganic substrates (e.g., AsO[subscript 3 superscript 3-], Fe[superscript 2+], H[subscript 2], H[subscript 2]S, Mn[superscript 2+], NH[subscript 3], and S[superscript 0]) is often foreign to many undergraduate students. This article describes a problem-solving exercise where students are introduced to the thermodynamic fundamentals of respiration with a particular focus on the role of redox (reduction-oxidation) potentials (E[subscript 0]'). In the exercise, the students investigate how the difference in redox potential ([delta]E[subscript 0]') between different pairs of reductants and oxidants affects the range of permissible microbial metabolic reactions in natural environments when oxygen is absent.
Descriptors: Science Education, Undergraduate Study, College Science, Scientific Concepts, Problem Solving, Chemistry, Active Learning, Metabolism, Thermodynamics
American Society for Microbiology. 1752 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-737-3600; e-mail: journals@asmusa.org; Web site: https://journals.asm.org/journal/jmbe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A