Background An AP student entered a Science Competition that involved designing and conducting an original experiment to demonstrate how cells produce...

Background

An AP student entered a Science Competition that involved designing and conducting an original experiment to demonstrate how cells produce energy. As a student, under the tutelage of an incredibly brilliant AP Biology teacher, she has come to fully comprehend the molecular biology of the mitochondria. Therefore, she accepted the challenge. 

1.     She obtained freshly isolated mitochondria from liver tissue and assays the matrix of the mitochondria to obtain an initial level of ATP. 

2.     She then placed isolated living mitochondria in a beaker containing 50 mL of 1M pyruvate and 50 mL of 1M ADP + 1M phosphate in a dilute (3%) acetic acid solution.

3.     She repeated the experimental setup with the exception that the second (control) beaker contained a neutral pH solution.

4.     She then bubbled in O2 into each of the two solutions and allowed the process to run for 5 minutes in a water bath set at 37oC. 

5.     Immediately afterward she assayed the mitochondrial matrix for the presence of ATP. 

6.     She observed that the mitochondrial matrix of the experimental group contained a much higher level of ATP in the matrix relative to initial values.

7.     However, the control group displayed a level close to the initial starting levels.

Question

 Why do you think this brilliant budding scientist designed the controlled experiment in the manner she did? Specifically, why did the experimental group of mitochondria produce more ATP than the control group.

My answer:

General:

Can you review my answer (specifically the second part) if it seems correct?