A common experiment, performed at the high school and college levels, is the generation of a gas to explore molar mass and molar volume relationships. In one version of this experiment, hydrogen peroxide is decomposed by yeast to generate oxygen gas. This paper describes a simple modification to this experiment which eliminates the need for a pencil coated with petroleum jelly and dry yeast. This elimination not only prevents falling pieces of yeast from prematurely starting the reaction, but at the same time makes the reaction faster and simplifies cleanup. The modification also reduces the likelihood of cuts from broken tubing.
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