Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

We did this project and started to get really good results after only a few days but then some of them would start to shink. We did not know if it was a hole or something else. We checked for holes but found none. We also wondered what the difference in biological structure is between banana and vegetable peelings? Is there a reason why the banana produces so much gas?

Hi Agnes,

I really like this project. I think that you are asking if it is normal to see the ballones deflate over time. (I snagged the following from the project ideas page) Some of the inflated balloons may deflate a little bit (by 2 cm or so) after about a week. Do not worry if this happens, as a tiny amount of biogas may escape from the inflated balloons over time. However, if an inflated balloon deflates a lot, this may be a sign of a leak in the balloon.

For your second question you might research the relationship between sugar content and fermentation, and then compare sugar content between bananas and vegetable peels.

Good Luck!
Emily

Check out these resources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/top ... rmentation
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio104/cellresp.htm