Fermentation is a chemical change in an organic substance caused by the action of enzymes. This process is used to produce alcohol. Fermentation occurs when any source containing sugar or starch is in the presence of yeast and with the proper condition such as temperature and time, alcohol and carbon dioxide gas are produced. This process is very beneficial because instead of using irreplaceable fossil fuels, fermentation uses renewable resources and produces only one waste product (carbon dioxide). Alcohol produced by fermentation is then refined through distillation. Distillation is the process of purifying a liquid by successive evaporation and condensation. Through distillation the alcohol produced from fermentation can them be used as a fuel source for many different purposes. "I figured out that I could use the fuel to heat my house, run my tractors and all that." (Crombie). In this experiment, two spoons of yeasts, 50ml of water and corn syrup along with all necessary materials are to be used to ferment alcohol. The procedure
Alcohol was the end result of the fermentation distillation process. Thus I conclude that my hypothesis was correct. Alcohol was fermented and distilled through the experiment. This is proven in the data taken from the experiment. A 20% conversion to 60% proof or better alcohol was achieved through the experiment. At a temperature range of 95 to 97 degree Celsius the liquid collected from the condenser stayed clear and burned when ignited in the evaporating dish. This was repeated with temperature ranges from 97 to 98 deg Celsius, at this temperature the liquid got a little brown but still burned. At 98 to 99 deg Celsius and at 99 to 100 deg Celsius the liquid turned brown and still burned. At 100 to 105 deg Celsius the liquid stayed clear and still burned. The liquid produced from the process was alcohol. Possible errors that could have been made are contamination of the lab materials and misreading of measurements. To avoid these errors new lab materials should be use and digital equipment should be used for measuring. In this experiment temp