Answer to Question #187966 in Organic Chemistry for Geovani Clarke

Question

Yeast is a unicellular organism, which can break glucose down anaerobically (without oxygen). Discuss with suitable equations how yeast can be used to produce ethanol, wine and rum.   

Answer 1

Alcoholic fermentation begins with the breakdown of sugars by yeasts to form pyruvate molecules, which is also known as glycolysis. Glycolysis of a glucose molecule produces two molecules of pyruvic acid. The two molecules of pyruvic acid are then reduced to two molecules of ethanol and 2CO2.