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Project Summary

Difficulty	7  –  9
Time required	Average (about one week)
Prerequisites	Interest in exercise physiology; the deeper your knowledge of acid-base reactions, the futher you can take this project
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Low ($20 - $50)
Safety	Adult assistance recommended for construction and setup of respirometer and data collection

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Abstract

Objective

This is a project in human physiology. The goal of this project is to measure changes in carbon dioxide levels in exhaled air before and after physical exercise.

Introduction

The air that you exhale contains carbon dioxide (CO₂), a waste product from the energy-producing biochemical reactions in your cells. You should do background research to find out how your body produces and gets rid of carbon dioxide.

In this project you will learn a method for measuring the relative amount of carbon dioxide in the air you exhale. You can compare the amount of carbon dioxide you produce when resting and when exercising, both moderately and briskly.

To measure your carbon dioxide output you will be using a colorimetric pH test. pH is a logarithmic measure of the acidity or alkalinity of solutions. pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration:

A colorimetric pH test means that the color of the solution changes when the pH changes. Here's how it works. When you add the pH test solution to plain water, it turns blue, or greenish blue, indicating that the pH is near 7. Carbon dioxide is very soluble in water. When it dissolves, CO₂ reacts with water, producing carbonic acid. The pH of the water is shifted from neutral (7) to more acidic (somewhere near 6). Over this range, the pH indicator will change color to yellow. The illustration below shows an example of a pH indicator changing color over this range.

Figure 1. The pH indicator bromothymol blue changes color from yellow to blue over the pH range 6.0–7.6, as illustrated above.

To compare your CO₂ output under different conditions, you will exhale through a tube into a bottle partly filled with the pH indicator solution. The CO₂ that you exhale will dissolve in the water, and gradually acidify it. You'll be able to see the pH indicator change color as this happens. By measuring how long it takes for the pH change to occur, you will have a relative measure of the amount of CO₂ in your breath. The less time it takes for the color change to happen, the more CO₂ there was in your breath.

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

• exercise physiology: find out as much as you can about how the body controls heart rate and breathing during exercise,
• autonomic nervous system,
• terms regarding lung function:
  • tidal volume,
  • vital capacity,
  • total lung capacity.
• terms regarding cardiac function:
  • cardiac output,
  • heart rate,
  • stroke volume.

• How is oxygen used and carbon dioxide produced in cellular respiration?
• How do cells in the body obtain oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide?
• How does the body sense and respond to increased cellular respiration rate?

Bibliography

• These sites explain the pH scale:
  
  • Environment Canada, 2002. "Kids' Corner pH Scale," The Green Lane: Acid Rain, Environment Canada website [accessed September 19, 2006] http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/kids.html.
  • Decelles, P., 2002. "The pH Scale," Virtually Biology Course, Basic Chemistry Concepts, Johnson County Community College [accessed September 19, 2006] http://staff.jccc.net/pdecell/chemistry/phscale.html.
• For information on respiration and exercise, try this website from the Science Museum of Minnesota:
  SMM, 2002. "Habits of the Heart: The Lungs," Science Museum of Minnesota [accessed September 19, 2006] http://www.smm.org/heart/lungs/top.html.
• Here is a good introduction to the physiology of exercise:
  American Physiological Society, 1999. "Background Information" from The Physiology of Exercise, American Physiological Society [accessed January 27, 2006] http://www.the-aps.org/education/lot/pdfs/physioex/backgrnd.PDF.
• Shakashiri, B. "Carbon Dioxide," Chemical of the Week, University of Wisconsin [accessed January 26, 2006] http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/CO2/CO2.html.
• ________, S., 2000. "Exhaled Air," Ask A Scientist Zoology Archive, University of Chicago, Newton BBS [accessed January 26, 2006] http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/zoo00/zoo00065.htm.
• Calabrese, L., 2001. "Volume of human lungs," Elert, G. "The Physics Factbook" [accessed January 27, 2006]:
  http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/LaurenCalabrese.shtml.

Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment:

• a freshwater aquarium pH test kit (Tetra brand works well),
• four clear plastic bottles (pint-size water bottles work well),
• water;
  
  
• homemade respirometer:
  • one bottle, with cap,
  • plastic tubing (approx. 1 cm internal diameter),
  • modeling clay;

  Diagram of respirometer setup. Drill holes in the bottle cap for the tubes to pass through and seal with modeling clay. Pay attention to tube lengths, only the inlet tube should be below surface of liquid.

• aeration setup for de-acidifying pH indicator solution:
  • aquarium pump,
  • tubing,
  • airstone (optional);
    
    
• a watch with a second hand or stopwatch,
• a helper to time you.

Experimental Procedure

1. Do your background research to find out about how your body produces and gets rid of carbon dioxide. You should also understand why carbon dioxide makes water more acidic when it dissolves.
2. Fill one of clear plastic bottles nearly to the top with water. (Use distilled water if your tap water has pH < 7.)
3. Add 10–15 drops of the pH test solution, cap the bottle, and mix gently. You should get a nice green or blue color (pH >= 7). If not, try using distilled water.
4. Fill the respirometer a little less than one-third full with pH test solution. Mark the level on the side of the bottle with tape and permanent marker.
5. Fill a second bottle about a quarter full with pH test solution, and set it aside as a control for color comparison. Reserve the remaining indicator solution for later.
6. Set up the inlet and outlet tubes of the respirometer as shown in the diagram above.
7. Now you are ready to begin. Your helper should tell you when to start, and mark the time (or start the stopwatch).
8. Do your best to maintain your current, comfortable breathing rate, inhaling through your nose and exhaling from your mouth through the tube.
   1. Don't inhale through the tube! You don't want to suck up the pH indicator solution!
   2. Observe the pH indicator solution for change in color.
9. When the indicator solution in the exhalation bottle has turned yellow, your helper should note the time (or stop the stopwatch). Record the number of seconds it took to change the color of the solution.
10. Now you need to aerate the pH indicator solution to return it to the starting pH. Remove the cap of the exhalation bottle and aerate the solution using the aquarium aeration pump until the solution matches the original color (compare to your control, it will take 5 10 minutes). [Alternatively, you can pour out the solution into an empty bottle and aerate it there, and pour in the same amount of fresh indicator solution from your reserve. Be careful to fill to the same level as before.]
11. When your respirometer solution is ready again, repeat steps 5–8. Do this until you have at least three measurements at rest (more is better).
12. Next, collect at least three measurements right after exercising moderately (walking at a comfortable pace) or briskly (for example, run in place, raising your knees up high) for 2 3 minutes. See how long it takes you to change the color of the pH indicator, then rest for 10 minutes while you re-aerate the buffer. Then repeat the measurement until you have at least three data points for each condition (more is better).
13. Finally, while at rest, try breathing into (and out of) a paper bag for one minute (or as close to one minute as you can), and then testing your CO₂ output.
14. Average the results for each test condition and compare the results using graphs and tables.
15. How do your results compare to your expectations from your background research? For increasing CO₂ output, how does breathing into a paper bag compare to exercise?

Variations

• Correlating CO₂ Production with Other Measures. How does CO₂ output correlate with other measures of increased physical activity such as breaths per minute and pulse rate?
• Making Your Results More Quantitative. For a more advanced project, you can actually calculate the amount of CO₂ produced. You can do this by adding a known amount of NaOH to the indicator solution, and calculating how much CO₂ would be required to change the pH to 6. Then, measure how long it takes to acidify the indicator solution. Your measurements will allow you to calculate an estimate of the CO₂ exhaled per second. Of course, to make this work you will have to work with solutions of known concentration and volume.
• Effects of Training: Athletes vs. Non-Athletes. If you wanted to get really ambitious, you could see how conditioning affects CO₂ output. Do conditioned athletes take longer to start producing additional CO₂ with moderate exercise? Do they recover to normal levels faster after exercise?
• For another Science Buddies project on exercise physiology, see: Heart Health: How Does Heart Rate Change with Exercise?.

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Zoology Project Ideas.

Credits

Andrew Olson, Ph.D., Science Buddies

Sources

• "Investigating CO₂ in Breathing," Bronx High School of Science [accessed January 25, 2006] http://www.bxscience.edu/ourpages/auto/2005/5/26/1117114499842/Investigating%20Carbon%20Dioxide%20in%20Breathing.pdf.
• "How Much Carbon Dioxide Is Produced During Exercise? Teacher's Notes" Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong [accessed January 25, 2006] http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~johnson/tas/investigation/exercise_teacher.htm.

Last edit date: 2007-01-30 10:30:00

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Zoology.

	Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist Ever wondered what wild animals do all day, where a certain species lives, or how to make sure a species doesn't go extinct? Zoologists and wildlife biologists tackle all these questions. They study the behaviors and habitats of wild animals, while also working to maintain healthy populations, both in the wild and in captivity.			Animal Breeder Why is it that certain breeds of cattle produce more flesh or milk? Why is one horse faster than another? The answer is that these breeds were engineered to have these special characteristics. Animal breeders need to understand genetics in order to produce animals that are bigger, faster, or more beautiful. If you are interested in working with animals and are fascinated by the science of genetics, then you should investigate this career.
	Biologist Life is all around you in beauty, abundance, and complexity. Biologists are the scientists who study life in all its forms and try to understand fundamental life processes, and how life relates to its environment. They answer basic questions, like how do fireflies create light? Why do grunion fish lay their eggs based on the moon and tides? What genes control deafness? Why don't cancer cells die? How do plants respond to ultraviolet light? Beyond basic research, biologists might also apply their research and create new biotechnology. There are endless discoveries waiting to be found in the field of biology!

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