02_B_Beetroot+experiment

BEETROOT! =Aim = The aim of this experiment is to explore the factors which affect the movement of materials in and out of the cells. = = =Hypothesis = A higher concentration of alcohol and a higher temperature would cause more coloured pigment from the beetroot to go to the surroundings. = = =Apparatus/ Materials = o Razor blade/ Scapel o White tile o 5 test tubes and rack o Forceps o Distilled Water o 25%, 50% alcohol o Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) o Chinese Leeks (Allium tubersosum) o Stop Watch o 2 petri dish o 3 droppers (water, 25%, 50% alcohol) o Labels o Thermometer o 2 Beakers o Supply of hot water o Spectrophotometer (Data logger) = = =Methodology = 1. Use a ruler and a scapel to cut the cylinder of beetroot into 15 discs of 2mm each. 2. Take 3 discs of beetroot and cut them further into smaller pieces 3. Rinse the beetroot discs and pieces until the water is colourless. 4. Label and prepare 5 test tubes as follows: Tube A- 4ml water Tube B- 4ml of 25% alcohol Tube C- 4ml of 50% alcohol Tube D- 4ml of hot water (90 C-100°C) Tube E- 4ml of water 5. Place 3 discs of beetroot in tube A-D and all the chopped beetroot in tube E using forceps. 6. Leave the test tubes to stand for 15 minutes. 7. Calibrate the machine to register water as allowing 100% of the light to pass through. 8. Gently shake the test tubes after 15 minutes and hold it against the white tile to note the colour. 9. Decant a small amount of the water from test tube A into the cuvette and place it in the colourimeter. 10. Click the 'run' icon and record the data. 11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for the remaining 4 test tubes.


 * Results **
 * **Tube (Content) ** || **Beetroot ** || **Colorimeter Data ** ||
 * A (Water) || 3 discs || 98.3 ||
 * B (25% alcohol) || 3 discs || 86.4 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">C (50% alcohol) || <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">3 discs || 49.4 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">D (Hot water) || <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">3 discs || 89.9 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">E (Water) || <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif';">3 discs cut into quarters || 90.6 ||

=<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Results Analysis = <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The 50% alcohol (Test tube B) allowed the least amount of light through. The 25% alcohol (Test tube C) allowed more light through as compared to the 50% alcohol (Test tube B) but did not allow more light through as compared to the others (Test tubes A, D and E). Test tube A allowed most light in among the 5. Test Tube E allowed more light to pass through than Test Tube D.

<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">**Discussion** <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Test tube A, which contains 4ml of water was the control for the activity.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">What was the control of this activity? __**

<span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">It was necessary to wash the beetroot slices thoroughly before using them in the experiment to get rid of the excess colour pigments on the beetroot when it is sliced.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Why was it necessary to wash the beetroot slices thoroughly before using them in this exploration? __**

**__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The main source of error in any biological experiment is usually the natural variation of living things. What did you do to ensure that this variation was minimized? __** <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">This variation would be that the different parts of the beetroot might contain different amounts of coloured pigments. Therefore we actually washed the beetroot until the water was colourless to minimize this variation.

**__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Does alcohol have an effect on beetroot cell membranes? Was the concentration of alcohol a factor too? Suggest an explanation for your observations. __** <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The alcohol has an effect on the beetroot cell membranes, and the concentration of the alcohol is also a factor.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">__**Suggest an explanation for the observations of tube D and E.**__ Tube D: Tube D contains hot water, therefore the cells are easily damaged which caused the colour pigments to leak out. Tube E: Tube E contains room temperature water with smaller pieces of beetroot. The reason for the difference in the results is due to the fact that tube E contains smaller pieces of beetroot. The total surface area of all the pieces of beetroot would be greater and therefore the rate of diffusion would be affected and increased. Thus, Tube E allowed lesser light to pass through as compared to Tube A.

<span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The amount of liquid the beetroot is put in since we had to put 4ml of liquid into each test tube to ensure a fair test.
 * __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What other factors can you think of that would affect the leaking of the pigment out of the beetroot cells? __**

<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">**Errors Made** <span style="font-family: 'Spranq eco sans','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1. We did not manage to fill up one of the cuvette up to the mark as we did not have enough liquid left in the test tube after 15 minutes. This may have affected the results.