Potentiometric Determination of CO2 Concentration in the Gaseous Phase: Applications in Different Laboratory Activities
Eduardo Cortón, Santiago Kocmur, Liliana Haim, and Lydia Galagovsky
Centro de Formación en la Enseñanaza de las Ciencias, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Cuidad Universitaria - Pabellón II, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Four simple experiments are described, in two laboratory sessions of 3 hours each. They provide high school students of a combined science course with the opportunity to review and integrate many topics while participating in a hands-on activity that resembles real industrial problems. The first lab comprises the calibration of a CO2 potentiometric detector with gas mixtures. The CO2 and CO2-free air required for the gaseous samples are produced in the lab by an inexpensive and simple apparatus. In the second lab, the CO2 potentiometric device is used to measure CO2uptake and release during different metabolic processes. The variation of CO2 production will be also estimated while changing the air/fuel proportion in a Bunsen burner.
Supplement
Instructor notes for the experiment are described.
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