LABORATORY 4. PLANT PIGMENTS AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS

OVERVIEW

In this laboratory you will separate plant pigments using chromatography. You also will measure the rate of photosynthesis in isolated chloroplasts. The measurement technique involves the reduction of the dye, DPIP. The transfer of electrons during the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis reduces DPIP and changes its color from blue to colorless.

OBJECTIVES

Section A: Before doing this laboratory you should understand:

how chromatography separates two or more compounds that are initially present in a mixture
the process of photosynthesis
the function of plant pigments
the relationship between light wavelength or light intensity and photosynthetic rate

Section B: In this experiment, you will

use a colorimeter to measure color changes due to photosynthesis.
study the effect of light on photosynthesis.
study the effect that the boiling of plant cells has on photosynthesis.
compare the rates of photosynthesis for plants in different light conditions.

LAB GUIDE

To download a printable copy of the lab guide, right click on the lab title below. Then select save target as. If you do not have Microsoft Word 97 or later, you will need to download Microsoft Word Viewer (it is free!).

Lab4-Photosynthesis.doc (61K)

RESULTS

With the help of UOG (for the DPIP this time), we completed another successful lab.