Practical Booklet Model Answers

Serial Dilutions and very small concentrations:

Permeability of Cell Surface Membranes:

1. Increased temperature leads to the molecules having increased kinetic energy.

2. Phospholipids have more kinetic energy: therefore the membrane becomes more
fluid. This makes the membrane more permeable to small, non-polar molecules/
3. Phospholipids are soluble in ethanol. The phospholipid membrane is disrupted so
the pigment can leak out along a gradient.
Ignote 4 + extension.

Enzyme Concentration and rate of reaction:

1. Iodinated agar is used because it will turn blue/black in the presence of starch. A
clear area on the iodinated agar will indicate that the amylase has digested the
starch.
2. Iodide binds to the helix structure of amylose and reacts to turn blue black.
3. A wide range will allow the scientists to see a pattern and make a valid conclusion.
4. Agar has a large quantity of protein as part of its structure. Protease may break
down the agar protein rather than the protein powder. This lack of the ability to
control this variable may lead to invalid results. Also it is easier to embed the iodide
than perform the biuret test to give a positive result

Root Tip Squash:

6. Repeating experiment with multiple root tips to allow a mean to be taken. It also
allows standard deviation to be calculated. Check results are reproducible by
comparing with different species/ages of plant.
7.
8. Breaking down the cell walls makes it easier to separate the cells and allows us
to view a single layer of cells under a microscope. It also allows the stain to
reach the nuclei more easily.
9.
Aseptic Technique:
1. Autoclaves: machines for sterilizing such things as surgical instruments and hospital
equipment. They're a bit like giant pressure cookers that use the power of steam to
kill off germs that would survive a simple washing with boiling water.
2. Bacterial lawn is a term used by microbiologists to describe the appearance
of bacterial colonies when all the individual colonies on a petri-dish agar
plate merge to form a field or mat of bacteria.
3. Strains of E.coli used in schools are non-harmful and can be cultivated at a
temperature of 25oC
4. Garlic and mint have lipid compounds that are not water soluble.

5. Agar has a number of uses in the fields of microbiology, biochemistry, and

molecular biology. In microbiology, it is one of the most important and widely
used materials. Since most microbes cannot digest it, it can, with
suitable nutrients added, act as a growth medium for bacteria, fungi, and other
microorganisms. The microbes feed off the added nutrients, but cannot digest
the agar, so it remains intact, allowing colonies of organisms to be easily
observed and studied.
Laboratory grade agar normally comes in the form of a very pure powder, as
special steps have to be taken to ensure that it is free from microorganisms,
spores, and any chemicals that might prevent or interfere with the growth of the
organisms to be cultivated. It is dissolved in hot water and cooled, then a
suitable nutrient, and possibly other chemicals, are added depending on what is
to be grown. The mixture is poured into petri dishes, where it sets into a gel, and
then materials to be tested are deposited on the surface, usually in streaks. The
petri dishes may then be incubated at a suitable temperature, and observed over
a period of days, to check what is growing on them. Agarose, extracted from
agar, is mainly used as a gel for electrophoresis, a technique that separates
different protein and DNA fragments based on their size and electrical charge.

Extension - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/