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Bio Lab#7

The document discusses the process of photosynthesis, highlighting the role of chlorophyll and light in converting light energy into chemical energy in plants. An experiment using a variegated leaf demonstrated that only the green sections containing chlorophyll could produce starch when exposed to light, while non-green sections could not. The results confirm that both light and chlorophyll are essential for photosynthesis to occur.

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15 views3 pages

Bio Lab#7

The document discusses the process of photosynthesis, highlighting the role of chlorophyll and light in converting light energy into chemical energy in plants. An experiment using a variegated leaf demonstrated that only the green sections containing chlorophyll could produce starch when exposed to light, while non-green sections could not. The results confirm that both light and chlorophyll are essential for photosynthesis to occur.

Uploaded by

je8779457
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Background Information

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light
energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose. This process occurs in the chloroplasts of
plant cells and requires sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

Chlorophyll, the green pigment found in chloroplasts, is essential for photosynthesis because it
absorbs light energy, primarily from the sun. This energy is used to convert carbon dioxide and
water into glucose, which serves as an energy source for the plant, while oxygen is released as a
byproduct.

A variegated leaf is a leaf that has both green and non-green parts. The green sections contain
chlorophyll, while the non-green sections lack chlorophyll due to the absence of chloroplasts.
Since chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis, only the green parts of a variegated leaf can
produce starch.

The iodine test is commonly used to detect the presence of starch in plant tissues. When iodine
solution is applied to a leaf, areas containing starch turn blue-black, while areas without starch
remain brownish or yellow. This experiment demonstrates that photosynthesis occurs only in the
regions of a leaf that contain chlorophyll and are exposed to light.

This experiment investigates the importance of chlorophyll and light in photosynthesis by using
a variegated leaf and testing for starch production.
Discussion
The results of this experiment confirm that both light and chlorophyll are necessary for
photosynthesis to occur. Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants use light energy,
water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen. The general word equation for
photosynthesis is:
Carbon dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen
The balanced chemical equation for this process is:
6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂
In this experiment, a variegated leaf was used to determine whether photosynthesis takes place in
different regions of the leaf. Variegated leaves have both green and non-green sections. The
green sections contain chlorophyll, while the non-green sections lack chlorophyll. After
performing the starch test with iodine solution, it was observed that only the green portions of
the leaf turned blue-black, indicating the presence of starch. The non-green sections did not
change color, showing that no starch was present.
This difference in color is due to the presence of chlorophyll in the green sections. Chlorophyll is
the pigment responsible for absorbing light energy, which is required for photosynthesis. Since
the non-green sections lacked chlorophyll, they were unable to photosynthesize and did not
produce starch. Additionally, the parts of the leaf that were covered with aluminum foil did not
turn blue-black. This further supports the conclusion that light is essential for photosynthesis.
Even though chlorophyll was present in the covered green sections, photosynthesis could not
occur because light was blocked, preventing the production of starch.
In this experiment, the green part of the leaf that was exposed to light served as the control. It
demonstrated the normal conditions required for photosynthesis, including the presence of
chlorophyll and light. By comparing this to the covered and non-green sections, the experiment
clearly showed that both factors are necessary for photosynthesis.
In conclusion, the results of the experiment support the hypothesis that light and chlorophyll are
essential for photosynthesis. Only the regions of the leaf that had both chlorophyll and access to
light were able to produce starch, as indicated by the blue-black color after the iodine test. This
experiment provides direct evidence of the role of chlorophyll and light in the photosynthetic
process.
Conclusion:

The results help to confirm that both the presence of light and chlorophyll are necessary for
photosynthesis to occur.

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