Beetroot has a betalain pigment, which makes it appear dark red or purple in colour.
By putting beetroot cores into water with varying temperature, it affects the cell membrane. The cell membrane is made up of two layers of molecules, so it's called "bilayer" ("bi" means two). The molecules in this bilayer are called phospholipids. Each of these phospholipids has a head and a double tail. The head is hydrophilic. The tail is hydrophobic. "Hydro" means water "philic" means, "loving." "Phobic" means, "fearing." Thus hydrophobic means it doesn’t attract water, while hydrophilic means it attracts water. The tails pack together, exposing only the polar heads to the water.
Apparatus:
- Microscope
- Beetroot cores
- Water (varying temperatures)
- Test tubes
- Syringe
Procedure:
- Take a 2cm core of beetroot.
-
Fill 3/4th of the beaker with 10°C of water.
- In the test tube, put core of beetroot and using a syringe pour 15ml of water into the test tube.
- Immerse the test tube in the beaker of water, and maitain the temperature at 10°C.
- Repeat all the steps with water of varying temperatures (eg: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60,70)
Data Collection:
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Table 4: average absorbance
Data Processing and evaluations: graph of absorbance
Table 5: average transmittance
Data Processing and evaluations: graph of transmittance
Conclusion and evaluation:
As the temperature increases, the membrane gets denatured which means the membrane becomes more permeable. As the temperature increases absorbance increases while transmittance decreases.
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