3(a) Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of glucose - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1
Question 3
3(a) Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of glucose.
Yeast is needed for the fermentation reaction.
(i) State two other conditions for fermentation.
(ii) Compl... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:3(a) Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of glucose - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1
Step 1
State two other conditions for fermentation.
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Answer
The sugar solution needs to be warm, ideally within the temperature range of 25-40°C.
The fermentation must occur in an anaerobic environment, which means that there is no access to oxygen.
Step 2
Complete the sentence by putting a cross (✗) in the box next to your answer.
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Answer
The correct answer is B fractional distillation.
Step 3
Write the balanced equation for the fermentation of glucose, C₆H₁₂O₆.
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Answer
The balanced equation for the fermentation process is:
ightarrow 2C_2H_5OH + 2CO_2$$
This equation shows that one molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of ethanol and two molecules of carbon dioxide.
Step 4
State two conditions for this reaction.
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Answer
The reaction requires a high temperature, typically around 300°C, and a pressure of about 60-70 atmospheres.
A catalyst, such as phosphoric acid, is often used to facilitate the reaction.
Step 5
Explain why the country would prefer to produce its ethanol from ethene rather than by fermentation.
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The country would prefer to produce ethanol from ethene for several reasons:
Land Use: With limited fertile land available, producing ethanol through the fermentation of plants that require significant agricultural space would be inefficient. Using ethene, which comes from crude oil, circumvents the need for farming land.
Oil Supply: The country has large reserves of crude oil, providing a reliable supply for producing ethene. This makes it more viable economically to leverage existing resources.
Production Speed: Ethanol production from ethene tends to be faster and can be continuous, compared to the slower and batch-based fermentation process, thus allowing for increased efficiency and output.