Experiment: Polar and Non-Polar Solvents and Spinach

Have you ever really wondered how different variables can affect how plants go through photosynthesis? Well, in this experiment, the purpose was to see how various environmental conditions can affect the overall photosynthetic capacity of a specific plant. The factors, light, darkness, cold, and heat were applied to see how the different components would affect the photosynthesis on spinach plants. Each group was given a different factor to test. Out group was given the light factor. The hypothesis for this experiment is that when adding light as a factor, the light will affect the overall plant photosynthesis.

The purpose of this lab was to see which level of light (measured in lux) made Spinacia oleracea (Spinach) leaf disks float the fastest. Our hypothesis was that an increase in light intensity will decrease the time it takes Spinacia oleracea disks to float. If light intensity is increased, then the time it takes Spinacia oleracea disks to float will be decreased. The mean for the no light (0 Lux) sample and the low light (4 x100 Lux) sample was 1200 seconds with no standard deviation because none of the disks in these two samples floated. The mean and standard deviation for the medium light (110 x100 Lux) was 902 seconds +- 84 seconds. The mean of the high light sample (410 x 100 Lux) was 692 seconds with no standard deviation because only two Spinacia oleracea disks floated so there was no need to measure the variability of the data. The final results indicated that the highest light intensity led to the quickest rise of Spinacia oleracea disks, supporting our hypothesis.

The cell membranes are the utmost essential organelle that surrounds all living cells. Its purpose is to control what goes in and out of the cells and is accountable for the various other properties of the cells as well. The nucleus and other organelles also have membranes that are practically indistinguishable. Membranes are organised in a mosaic arrangement, comprised of carbohydrates, proteins and phospholipids. This can be seen in Figure 1. The objective of this indirect examination is to study the causes of various solvents and conducts on live beetroot cells. The reason why beetroot cells have been selected for this experiment is because they have a big membrane-bound central vacuole, as seen in Figure 2. The red colour anthocyanin, which provides the beetroot its bright colour is located in the vacuole. The cell membrane encloses the whole beetroot cell. The anthocyanin cannot leak out if the membranes stay unharmed. The red colour can escape if the membranes are hassled or broken.

Lycopene and β-carotene are separated using thin layer chromatography (TLC). A mixture of tomato paste containing dissolved lycopene and β-carotene is first spotted on a TLC plate. The technique uses a stationary phase layer, on which the substances stick, and a mobile phase, which migrates upwards the plate and carries the components of the mixture with itself (Chemguide). Depending on their respective polarity, lycopene and β-carotene stick more or less to the stationary phase and so they migrate up the TLC plate at different rates (Chemguide). Thus, as the chromatography is completed, the two components will appear as distinct dots at different heights on the plate. Lycopene has a bright orange color, whereas β-carotene is light yellow.

The cell membrane (Plasma membrane) functions to provide cell support, cell stability and control entry and exit of materials from the cell. This study was conducted to test the effects of environmental conditions such as the on beet root cell membrane (Beta vulgaris). Five trials using varied pH concentrations were tested and absorbance rates were monitored. The experimental results showed that the protein function decreased sequentially when the pH decreased. This allowed the betacyanin dye to leak out which created the color that was needed to determine the intensity and therefore the effect of the circumstances. This supported the hypothesis that the more acidic or basic the environmental condition around the beet cell, the more permeable the, membrane indicated by color intensity. Pigment leakage in the solution was analyzed by using a spectrophotometer.

A sample of Elodea Leaf was obtained and placed on a slide. A dropper was used to put a drop of water on top of the Elodea Leaf along with coverslip on top. The slide was placed under a microscope for observation. It is important that your microscope is at 400x magnification (Scott, Deneke and Neff, 2017). Once you have observed the sample, remove the cover slip and add 2 drops of the .6M sucrose solution provided. Another coverslip was placed on top of the sample and observed once again. After 5 minutes, a micrograph was taken. During the last step, the coverslip was removed; the sample was placed on a petri dish, and carefully used a dropper to rinse the Elodea Leaf with water for 5 minutes. One last coverslip was placed on the slide with the sample, and observed once again under microscope.

Pigments extracted from different greens have different polarities and may be different colors. Mixed pigments can be separated using chromatography paper. Chromatography paper is able to separate mixed pigments due to their polarity and solubility. Pigments of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and beta carotene will be separated on chromatography paper because each has its own polarity and solubility, which results in different distance traveled up the paper. Beta carotene is non-polar so it travels the highest distance, followed by chlorophyll a. Chlorophyll b is the most polar; therefore, it travels the shortest distance. The separated pigments on the chromatography paper can be eluted in acetone and absorbance spectrum is

This experiment demonstrates the effects of pH on the rate of photosynthesis by examining the behavior of leaf disks in different pH solutions under light. In this experiment, we used five different pH levels: pH 5, pH 6, pH 7, pH 8 and pH 9. These solutions were created using a combination of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Spinancia olcerea or spinach, leaves were used in the experiment to examine the effects of pH on the rate of photosynthesis. The rate of photosynthesis was measured by counting the number of leaf disks that rose to the surface of the solution after each minute. In acidic solutions, the rate of photosynthesis increased while in basic solutions, the rate of photosynthesis decreased.

The purpose of this experiment was to take spinach leaves and extract the chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments by using acetone as the solvent. The chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments were extracted by using column chromography and alumina was used as the solvent. Solvents of different polarities were used, starting with the least polar, to extract the certain components from the leaves. They were then analyzed by using thin- layer chromatography.

The separation of the spinach is caused by each compound’s solubility and its adsorption to the silica gel. Each compound is dissolved in the solutions to a different extent, and they travel with it as it moves up the TLC strip. The compounds will be attracted to the OH groups on the silica’s surface if they are polar, causing more polar molecules to move more slowly up the strip. The compounds are separated when they all move at different speeds up the TLC.

This was done for each dye. The remaining beaker was filled with 20 mL of distilled water and was used as the control variable. 2) The hole punch was used to cut 28 (7 for each beaker) leaf circles from the spinach leaves. The 28 leaf circles, or discs, were then scooped up with the spatula and placed into the syringe.

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

With a given 9.5x14 chromatography paper, the dots were marked by 3 cm from the edge, 7 cm between 3 cm and 7 cm, and 10 cm between 7 cm to 10 cm within 2 cm from the bottom. Then a line was drawn from the 7 cm dot to the 10 cm dot. With a coin, the spinach leaf was gently rolled over covering the two dots in between 7 cm and 10 cm. With a mortar and pestle, 5 g spinach leaves were ground and poured with 2 g anhydrous magnesium sulfate, 8 mL hexanes, and 2 mL acetones. After the spinach leaves were ground, the mixture of the liquid became green. Then with a capillary tube, the tube was dip into the green mixture and made it into the 3 cm dot created the green spot. After spotting all the dots, a chromatography paper was rolled up into

The undersides of three pieces of spinach leaves were painted with clear nail polish. Clear tape was placed onto the area and carefully removed to get the leaf impression. The impression was viewed under the microscope and the amount of stomata was recorded in the data table.

The flattening of the onion root tips allows the chromosomes of each individual cell to be observed. The hydrochloric acid added, plays a part in fragmenting the root tissues by weakening and removing the bonds between cells so that each cell will not be attached to the other cell, obstructing the observation. Toluidine Blue solution acts as a colorant, giving a blue colour to the chromosomes and so that it is more easily spotted