Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Essay Example

Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Paper This captured energy is used to convert carbon dioxide into complex energy-rich molecules that can be used by themselves or other organisms. Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar and other organic molecules. (Russell, Wolfe, Hertz, Starr, 2010). Photosynthesis can be categorized into two main processes: light-dependent reactions and light-independent reactions. For the purpose of this lab, light- dependent reactions will be investigated. The reactants involved in photosynthesis include carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to produce glucose, oxygen, and water. The light reactions involve the capture and use of light energy by pigment molecules to synthesize NADIA and AT P. Plants use this light energy to produce glucose from carbon dioxide. The glucose is stored mainly in the form of starch granules, in the chloroplasts of cells. Glucose in the form of starch is non-polar and is not soluble in water, allowing it to be stored much more compactly. The chloroplast is formed from an outer membrane, an inner membrane, and an intermediate compartment. The aqueous environment within the inner membrane is called the stoma. Within the stoma is the ayatollahs, which are flattened, closed sacs. It is in these sacs that the specific molecules required to carry out the light reactions of photosynthesis are contained, including the pigments, electron transfer carriers, and the TAP syntheses enzymes for TAP production. A pigment is able to absorb photons of light and differ by the wavelengths of light they can absorb. We will write a custom essay sample on Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The amount of energy in a photon is inversely related to its wavelength. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and consists of photons that have higher energy than the longer wavelength red light. When photons of light hit an object, they can be reflected off the object, transmitted through the object or absorbed by the object. The absorption of light by a pigment results in electrons becoming excited and moving to a higher energy state. Color is determined by the wavelengths that it cannot absorb, therefore chlorophyll is green since it does not absorb green light. If a pigment absorbs all wavelengths of visible light, the object appears black. A large variety of pigments can be found in plants. The most common are chlorophyll a and b and carotids, located in he chloroplasts of cells, and anticyclones, located in the cell vacuoles and do not contribute to photosynthesis. Each of these pigments has different properties and performs different functions for the plant, including absorbing light in different parts of the spectrum. The more light absorbed equals the more energy available for a plant. The pigment molecules that can be found in plants are specifically arranged in and around photometers that are embedded in the ethylated membranes of chloroplasts. Each contains a reaction centre surrounded by an antenna complex. Light from the sun travels into the holocaust and goes through the antenna pigment. The energy trapped by the antenna complex is funneled to the reaction centre, called IPPP, where it is used to oxidize a chlorophyll molecule and donate an electron to a primary acceptor molecule to continue into carbon fixation to ultimately release glucose sugar (Oracle Thinkers, 2010). The reaction centers are named after the wavelength (in manometers) of their red-peak absorption maximum. Most plant parts, especially leaves, contain some combination of the three main pigments, even if only one is especially obvious. It is possible to separate these segments from each other using a technique called paper chromatography. In this process, plant tissue extract is applied to a piece of chromatography paper. A solvent is allowed to travel up the paper, and if the pigment is soluble in the solvent, it will be carried along with it. (Benny, 2009) Different pigments have different affinities for the solvents or polarity and will travel at different rates. Chlorophyll, anticyclones, and carotids are typically non-polar. For lab 12, it is hypothesized that chlorophyll 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 sever al days, but a decreased presence in leaf tissue exposed to green and black light wavelengths. In lab 13, it is expected that since chlorophyll a and b are more polar and smaller molecules than the anticyclones and carotids, they will travel higher up the chromatography paper than the other pigments. Materials and Methods Lab 12 In the first part of this laboratory experiment, a multi-colored leaf was removed from a Coleus plant that was in direct sunlight for several hours. The hypothesized results for which pigments were present and the results of an kill starch test were then recorded. A boiling alcohol bath was set up, which consisted of a IL beaker containing mall of water on a hot plate, and a mall beaker containing mall of 80% ethyl alcohol inserted into the larger water beaker. The water was brought to a slow boil and the leaf was placed into the boiling alcohol solution in order to extract the pigments. When the leaf became almost white, the leaf was removed, placed into a Petri dish, and covered with distilled water. KAKI solution was added to the distilled water until a pale amber lour was obtained. The leaf produced a purple-black color in some areas which show a positive test for starch. In the second part of the lab, part of a leaf was taken from a germanium plant that had been covered for several days with different color filters: blue, green, red, and black. In order to differentiate between the leaves taken from different filters, the black filter leaf had one notch taken from leaf, the green had 2 notches, the red had 3 notches, and the blue had 4 notches. The leaves were then place into the alcohol bath that was used in the first experiment. When the leaves became mostly white, they were removed using forceps, placed into a Petri dish, and rinsed and covered with distilled water. Kill was added to the distilled water until an amber color was achieved. The observation of the reaction of the leaves with the kill after 5 minutes was then recorded. See appendix for original lab report. Lab 13 In this laboratory experiment, pieces of spinach leaves were mashed in a mortar and pestle in order to extract the plants pigments. These pigments were transferred to a piece of chromatography paper with a marked pencil line CM room the bottom by means of a capillary tube. The chlorophyll pigment was allowed to dry and was re-applied 5 times, drying between each application. The chromatography paper rolled and stapled and was placed into a jar containing a petroleum ether and acetone solvent. The chromatography was allowed to proceed until the solvent reached about CM from the top. The paper was removed and examined for separations of pigments. See appendix for original lab report. The control for the overall experiment was the original leaf taken from the Coleus plant in lab 12, both before and after the 121