2006-11-15 08:44:41 · 3 answers · asked by Denise L 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
with air yeast wil grow and thrive.
without air it will produce ethanol and eventually die when the concentration of ethanol rises.
2006-11-15 08:53:19 · answer #1 · answered by andy_114 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not the yeast you have to worry about if you let air into a sugar mixture which is being fermented by yeast - it's the effect of the air on the alcohol which is being produced. It is possible for the alcohol (ethanol) to be oxidised to vinegar (ethanoic acid). So air is always kept out of a fermentation vessel.
2006-11-15 16:50:57 · answer #2 · answered by Gervald F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're asking about how it behaves in the fermentation process, with or without being exposed to the air, it's this. If there's plenty of oxygen available, it decomposes the sugar very quickly, and the reaction produces only CO2, no alcohol. But if air is excluded (anerobic conditions), the reaction is much slower, and alcohol (C2H5OH), as well as CO2, is produced. That's one of the reasons that you use an air trap on the container you make beer/wine in (the other reason is to keep out airborne bacteria, which can turn the brew into vinegar).
2006-11-15 16:59:40 · answer #3 · answered by pack_rat2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋