Detection of Respiration in Chickpeas (BIOL101 - Fermentation & Respiration Lab)

In this video, we look at one way in which aerobic respiration can be detected. Here we use chickpeas which have been activated from dormancy by incubating them in some water overnight. In the process of undergoing respiration, these chickpeas produce CO2, and this CO2 can be detected by testing the pH of the solution which has the CO2 dissolved in it.

In this case, we had very little CO2 gas above the chickpeas - it's likely that much of it leaked out of the flask because the stopper did not provide a tight seal to trap the gas - but there was still plenty of CO2 dissolved in the water above the chickpeas.