INTRODUCTION:
In this experiment we will see different
plants pigments. That pigments are: chlorophyll, xanthophyll and
carotens.
OBJECTIVES:
To do the process of chromatography (separate
the pigments with ethanol)
MATERIAL:
- Mortar ans Pestle
- Funnel
- Scissors
- Graduated Cylinder
- Sand
- Beaker (250ml) or a
petri dish
- Ethanol
- Calcium carbonate
- Spinachs
- Cellulose paper
PROCEDURE:
1. Take 6/7 leafs of
spinacks and cut in small pieces with the scissors.
2. Put the small
pieces inside the mortar with the spatula and put a little bit of sand inside
de mortar.
3. With the spatula
take calcium carbonate and put inside with the leafs and the sand.
4. Add 50 ml of
ethanol.
5. You need to grind
6. Finally, you need
to filter the mixture and extract the liquid.
- Cut a paper strip
with the cellulose paper and put inside the beaker (with the liquid that we
extract)
- Do the same with
the petri dish, but you need to bend the cellulose paper.
- The liquid that you
have in the graduated cylinder put in front of the light.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why do we add sand?
To brake the cells,
we brake the cloroplast.
2. Why do we add calcium carbonate?
Prevents the pigments
degradation.
3. Which is the color of every pigment?
chlorophyll
(verd), xanthophyll (yellow) and carotens (orange).
4. What adaptative purpose do different colored pigments serve for a
plant?
to capture different
light wavelengths
5. Why do they separate on the cellulose paper?