Chloroplast Lab

Chloroplast: An organelle bounded by a double membrane containing the enzymes and pigments that perform

This lab was conducted to explore the light energy, pigments and the rate of photosynthesis in magnolia leaves. In experiment one a magnolia leaf was used to see the separation of primary and accessory plant pigments using a process called paper chromatography. The importance of this process was to discover which pigment had the highest band along a piece of filter paper and identify various plant pigments in a magnolia leaf such as xanthophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids that aid magnolia leaves during photosynthesis. Based on the conducted experiment, it can be concluded that chlorophyll a was the pigment that showed the highest band on the piece filter paper which means that chlorophyll a is the primary pigment in photosynthesis

Photosynthesis Lab Christina Good Biology Riker December 9, 14 In this lab the purpose was to investigate that light and water are both needed for photosynthesis. The hypothesis was if the disk was placed in light then it will float and if the disk was not placed in light then the disk will not float. The prediction for this lab is that in light the disk will float and in darkness it will not.

Photosynthesis is a the process in which plants and other organisms to turn light into energy. To see if this is true I will test to see if spinach leaves discs can be effected by photosynthesis. I predicted that more disc would float in the light than in the dark. After writing down my hypothesis, I started the procedure. I cut up the spinach leaves into the disc and put cold water in the three petri dishes so the leaves would float in the water.

Problem/Purpose: The purpose behind this lab was to create and conduct an experiment to observe cellular photosynthesis. There are many factors that are being observed such as environmental variables, which means how the environment affects the rate of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process used throughout many organisms, the process itself is converting light energy into chemical energy. The process occurs in enzyme-mediated steps that will capture light to convert it into energy rich carbohydrates for other organisms to use. The process can be broken down into the reaction 2H2O + CO2 + light → carbohydrate (CH2O) + O2 + H2O.

This experiment was performed using the procedure from the Photosynthesis in Leaf Disks Lab. First using a #3

During this lab, spectroscopy and chromatography was used to determine the various properties and characteristics of fast green solution, chloroplasts and an unknown solution. The spectrometer helped determine the absorbance levels of each substance which was used in this experiment. The levels which were determined were used to find the concentration curve of the concentrated solution of fast green solution and the concentration of the given unknown 215. The chlorophyll solution presented a varied distribution in the absorbance levels which would eventually help us determine what wavelengths are absorbed by chlorophyll. Chromatography was used to separate the components of the chlorophyll (spinach) solution which revealed

In this lab the experiment was conducted to determine whether or not sweating has an effect on body temperature, or if sweating helps maintain a stable internal environment (homeostasis). The hypotheses was that if two cans that are filled with boiling water were wrapped in a wet and dry cloth then the can wrapped in the wet cloth will cool down faster. Every 30 seconds the temperature was recorded in degrees Celsius from the two cans wrapped in cloth, the cloth was held to the can using rubber bands. After 15 minutes of measuring the temperature it was concluded that the can wrapped in the wet cloth dropped in temperature much quicker. This is because as the water from the wet cloth evaporates it helps cool down the temperature of the boiling

In order to obtain the photosynthetic pigment’s absorption spectra the pigments are separated using paper chromatography. Paper chromatography is an analytical technique that separates a mixture based on the individual pigment’s size, polarity and solubility (Lewis, 2004). The separation of the mixtures involves a stationary phase (the chromatography paper), which a mobile phase (solvent) moves up through. When the mixtures is applied to the paper and allowed to flow with the mobile phase, the different pigments move at different rates (Campbell, 1996). This means the pigments that absorb the strongest to the stationary phase (the chromatography paper) will move the slowest, while the weakest will move the fastest. The rate of the pigments movement will separate each pigment individually from the mixture (Maitland, 2002). This natural separation shows that each pigment is chemically different and plays different roles in photosynthesis (Maitland, 2002).

Chloroplasts are organelles found only in plant cells and the cells of certain protists. Cells containing chloroplasts already contain mitochondria (other energy-producing organelles), but chloroplasts provide another method of producing energy. Chloroplasts use light (typically solar) energy to produce energy in a form usable for the cell. They convert the light energy to chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis. Light energy is stored in chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color, within disks called thylakoids.

The video above shows the steps in Testing a Leaf for the Presence of Starch. The Procedure outlined below is slightly different.

Three test tubes were acquired and, before adding the three drops of unboiled chloroplasts, were given 0mL, .5mL, and 2mL of phosphate buffer respectively. After the chloroplasts were added, the same process as stated above for measuring transmittance was done. There were three controls in this experiment: the boiled chloroplasts were used with the assumption that they are unable to photosynthesize which will demonstrate the functionality and purpose of the chloroplasts in plant cells; one sample of unboiled chloroplast solution was stored in the dark to account for the effects light has in the process of photosynthesis; and the unboiled chloroplasts are a control for the variable of pH tested in this

b. As well as in making sugars, chloroplasts are important in making other essential plant products, such as fats, oils, scents, and proteins.

For lab 12, it is hypothesized that chlorophylls a and b are present in a plant leaf and contribute to the starch production in photosynthesis. Also, products of photosynthesis will be present in leaf tissue exposed to red and blue light wavelengths for several days, but a decreased presence in leaf tissue exposed to green and black light wavelengths. In lab 13, it is expected that since chlorophylls a and b are more polar and smaller molecules than the anthyocyanins and carotenoids, they will travel higher up the chromatography paper than the other pigments.

The next step was to place the strip of chromatography paper on a paper towel. Then dip a capillary tube into the plant pigment extract (spinach pigment extract) provided by the teacher. The tube will fill on its own. We applied the extract to the pencil line on the paper, blew the strip dry, and repeated it three to four times until the line on the paper is a dark