This demonstration illustrates one of the most important chemical processes in living things: the use of proton gradients, or waterfalls. A high concentration of protons on one side of a membrane can be used to power things – in this case, an electric motor. Proton gradients occur quite naturally on Earth, and Taal’s twin lakes are a geologically spectacular example. The acidic inner lake, primed by bubbling volcanic gases, is a reservoir of protons – the top of a waterfall. Taal’s outer lake is mildly alkaline, owing to the reaction of the water with the rocks of the shore. This is the bottom
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