What factors are involved in the separation of the pigments?

The solubility, size of particles, and their attractiveness to the paper are all
involved in the separation.
Would you expect the Rf value of the pigment to be the same if a different
solvent were used? Explain.
No, the different solubilities of the pigments would change the Rf values. For
example chlorophyll b is only soluble to fat solutions.
What type of chlorophyll does the reaction center contain? What are the
roles of the other pigments?
The reaction center contains chlorophyll a. The other pigments collect different
light waves and transfer the energy to chlorophyll a.
Exercise 4B: Photosynthesis/The Light Reaction
What is the purpose of DPIP in this experiment?
DPIP is the electron acceptor in this experiment.
What molecule found in chloroplasts does DPIP "replace" in this
experiment?
DPIP substitutes for the NADP molecules.
What is the source of the electrons that will reduce DPIP?
The electrons come from the photolysis of water.
What was measured with the spectrophotometer in this experiment?
The spectrophotometer measures the percentage of light transmittance through
the cuvette due to DPIP reduction.
What is the effect of darkness on the reduction of DPIP? Explain.
The effect of darkness is that no reaction will occur.
What is the effect of boiling the chloroplasts on the subsequent reduction
of DPIP? Explain.
Boiling denatures the protein molecules and stops the reduction.
What reasons can you give for the difference in the percent transmittance
between the live chloroplasts that were incubated in the light and those
that were kept in the dark?
In the dark cuvette, there was no light energy available, so there was no flow of
electrons and no photolysis of water, while in the lighted cuvette these
processes were allowed to continue.

Measuring the Rate of Photosynthesis

Published by Zymas
December 13, 2007, Category: Botany

A lab report measuring the rate at which photosynthesis occurs with the elodea plant.

Purpose:
To see if light intensity affected the rate of photosynthesis; the production of oxygen.

Hypothesis:

Our hypothesis for this lab was that the plants receiving the most intense light would
produce oxygen faster or in a higher quantity compared to the plants receiving plain room
light and no light at all. We also thought that the plant receiving no light would slow in
oxygen production and produce less oxygen than the other 2 plants.

Materials list:

• Elodea plants
•  Glass  beakers
• Scissors
• Metric ruler
• Gas Pressure Sensor
• Lamp
• Tin foil
•  Paper towel 

Procedure:

1. Cut three pieces of Elodea into 10 cm long.

2. Place Elodea in water filled beakers and leave one exposed to intense light from
the lamp, one left alone in room light and one wrapped in paper towel and then tin
foil.
3. Using a gas pressure sensor, measure, then record, the amount of oxygen gas
found in the water at 0, 10 and 20 minutes.

• Experimental Control: Plant with normal lighting.

• Manipulated Variable: Light Intensity
• Responding Variable: Oxygen Produced
• Control Variables: Plant length, time left under lamp

Results:
The elodea exposed to the room light produced the most photosynthesis. This data is
contradictory to our hypothesis.

Conclusion:

Our hypothesis was partially supported by the data. We did not predict that the intense
light would produce photosynthesis at a higher rate than the room light. The data supports
this statement. The data supports our hypothesis about the lack of light.

Amidst the experiment, the lamp we were using for the intense light’s bulb exploded.
This left the plant exposed to room light for a short stretch of time. We could also have
had a less adept elodea, the plant in the intense light atmosphere could have been weaker
than the room light plant. Lastly, the Gas Pressure Sensor may not have been accurate or
was just an improper way to accurately measure the amount of oxygen produced.

The method was sound and the experiment clear. More trials were necessary. Based on
our results, Elodea exposed to no light will produce significantly less amounts of oxygen
and ATP for cell energy, thus crippling the plant as a whole unit. Elodea exposed to room
light will increase in the rate of photosynthesis until it reaches a steady level and Elodea
exposed to intense light will remain relatively unchanged in terms of photosynthesis.

Plants that live in conditions that supply small amounts of light must either find
alternative energy sources or rely less on photosynthesis. Plants living in sunny
conditions that receive ample amounts of light will most likely thrive. It stands to reason
that if you place a plant used to direct light in conditions for a plant that receives little
light, the plant will wither and produce far less ATP. If a plant adapted to low amounts of
light is placed in a high-light environment, our data supports that it will most likely
thrive.

Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis Lab Report

Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis Lab Report

Photosynthesis, in a nutshell, is the process that allows plants to capture the sun’s energy
and store it as chemical potential energy in the bonds of carbohydrate molecules. There
are two processes in which this takes place, called Photosystems. In Photosystem I, light
from the sun travels into the chloroplast and goes through the antennae pigment, into the
reaction center. The light that travels into the first reaction center is called P700. An
electron is then sprung out of the reaction center into the e- transport train, or the
cytochrome system. The electron is then taken to NADP+. The NADP+ is then reduced
into NADPH. After the loss of the electron from P700, the P700 can no longer function.
Photosystem II is then needed. The antennae pigment of Photosystem II absorb light
energy of P680. The pigment is exited and transfers this absorbed energy to an electron,
causing it to break free, and travel to other electron transport molecules until it reaches
P700, replacing its lost electrons. The lost electrons of P680 are replaced by extracting
electrons from two water molecules. That leaves four hydrogen ions, that are released
into the Thylakoid space, and combine to form some O2.

The data in the graph and table shows the percent transmittance that each cuvette had
during the 3 time intervals. We noticed that the un-boiled chloroplasts with light (cuvette
#3) had the highest increase in percent transmittance in the time that they were put
through. All of the other cuvettes seemed to have stayed around the same number of
percent transmittance. This shows that chloroplasts and light are needed to increase
photosynthesis.

The O2 diffuses out of the cell and out of the plant. The final phase of energy capture is
the chemiosmotic synthesis of ATP. It uses the energy from the Hydrogen ions. They
work with ATP synthetase enzymes to synthesis ATP from ADP. After energy capture, the
ATP and NADPH work to fix the carbon in Carbon Fixation. This is called the Calvin
Cycle. Through the Calvin cycle glucose is produced. So basically, Photosynthesis takes
place in two main parts. In the first part, energy is captured, in the second part the energy
is used to make sugar.

Measuring the Rate of Photosynthesis

Published by Zymas
December 13, 2007, Category: Botany

A lab report measuring the rate at which photosynthesis occurs with the elodea plant.

Purpose:

To see if light intensity affected the rate of photosynthesis; the production of oxygen.

Hypothesis:

Our hypothesis for this lab was that the plants receiving the most intense light would
produce oxygen faster or in a higher quantity compared to the plants receiving plain room
light and no light at all. We also thought that the plant receiving no light would slow in
oxygen production and produce less oxygen than the other 2 plants.
Materials list:

• Elodea plants
•  Glass  beakers
• Scissors
• Metric ruler
• Gas Pressure Sensor
• Lamp
• Tin foil
•  Paper towel 

Procedure:

1. Cut three pieces of Elodea into 10 cm long.

2. Place Elodea in water filled beakers and leave one exposed to intense light from
the lamp, one left alone in room light and one wrapped in paper towel and then tin
foil.
3. Using a gas pressure sensor, measure, then record, the amount of oxygen gas
found in the water at 0, 10 and 20 minutes.

• Experimental Control: Plant with normal lighting.

• Manipulated Variable: Light Intensity
• Responding Variable: Oxygen Produced
• Control Variables: Plant length, time left under lamp

Results:

The elodea exposed to the room light produced the most photosynthesis. This data is
contradictory to our hypothesis.

Conclusion:

Our hypothesis was partially supported by the data. We did not predict that the intense
light would produce photosynthesis at a higher rate than the room light. The data supports
this statement. The data supports our hypothesis about the lack of light.

Amidst the experiment, the lamp we were using for the intense light’s bulb exploded.
This left the plant exposed to room light for a short stretch of time. We could also have
had a less adept elodea, the plant in the intense light atmosphere could have been weaker
than the room light plant. Lastly, the Gas Pressure Sensor may not have been accurate or
was just an improper way to accurately measure the amount of oxygen produced.

The method was sound and the experiment clear. More trials were necessary. Based on
our results, Elodea exposed to no light will produce significantly less amounts of oxygen
and ATP for cell energy, thus crippling the plant as a whole unit. Elodea exposed to room
light will increase in the rate of photosynthesis until it reaches a steady level and Elodea
exposed to intense light will remain relatively unchanged in terms of photosynthesis.

Plants that live in conditions that supply small amounts of light must either find
alternative energy sources or rely less on photosynthesis. Plants living in sunny
conditions that receive ample amounts of light will most likely thrive. It stands to reason
that if you place a plant used to direct light in conditions for a plant that receives little
light, the plant will wither and produce far less ATP. If a plant adapted to low amounts of
light is placed in a high-light environment, our data supports that it will most likely
thrive.