Student
BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Beetroot cells contain a red pigment stored in the cell vacuole in the membrane to prevent leaking out from the cell. In this experiment we used several solvents to calculate which one made the cell release more pigment.
RESULTS: A table showing the results of the intensity of the color and the absorbance of the liquids with the different solvents.
Solvent
Results from colorimeter 0.001
Acid (Hydrochloric)
0.358
Ethanol
0.132
Hot water
0.984
Cold water-distilled water (control)
0.057
CONLUSION: The results show that hot water gave the highest average absorbance reading from the colorimeter, followed by hydrochloric acid, ethanol and cold water, in descending order of absorbance.
The absorbance of the solvent that was hot water affected the most the permeability of the cell membranes. This is because if the temperature is higher it will break down big part of the membrane due to the fact that when heat energy is given to something, the electrons will vibrate therefore breaking their bonds and changing state of matter, with hot water the membrane from the beetroot released more pigment fitting this process. We kept temperature of the hot water constant and we did not let it boil because this could affect the pigment released by the beetroot, it could potentially denature the membrane of the beetroot.
Hydrochloric acid in other words, the pH can affect the membrane affecting the proteins that make up cell membranes therefore allowing the beetroot pigment to leek into the acid.
To put the effect of Ethanol short for the absorbance, ethanol= alcohol and cell membrane= phospholipid. All lipids are soluble in alcohol thus it increases the permeability of the beetroot.
Finally, not much pigment came out from the beetroots membrane into the cold water, this was because cold water does not really affect the cell membrane, it doesn’t denature the cell membrane hence the pigment remains intact inside the phospholipid. The
RESULTS: A table showing the results of the intensity of the color and the absorbance of the liquids with the different solvents.
Solvent
Results from colorimeter 0.001
Acid (Hydrochloric)
0.358
Ethanol
0.132
Hot water
0.984
Cold water-distilled water (control)
0.057
CONLUSION: The results show that hot water gave the highest average absorbance reading from the colorimeter, followed by hydrochloric acid, ethanol and cold water, in descending order of absorbance.
The absorbance of the solvent that was hot water affected the most the permeability of the cell membranes. This is because if the temperature is higher it will break down big part of the membrane due to the fact that when heat energy is given to something, the electrons will vibrate therefore breaking their bonds and changing state of matter, with hot water the membrane from the beetroot released more pigment fitting this process. We kept temperature of the hot water constant and we did not let it boil because this could affect the pigment released by the beetroot, it could potentially denature the membrane of the beetroot.
Hydrochloric acid in other words, the pH can affect the membrane affecting the proteins that make up cell membranes therefore allowing the beetroot pigment to leek into the acid.
To put the effect of Ethanol short for the absorbance, ethanol= alcohol and cell membrane= phospholipid. All lipids are soluble in alcohol thus it increases the permeability of the beetroot.
Finally, not much pigment came out from the beetroots membrane into the cold water, this was because cold water does not really affect the cell membrane, it doesn’t denature the cell membrane hence the pigment remains intact inside the phospholipid. The