Title : Investigation of Action of Saliva and 3 M Hydrochloric Acid in Two Carbohydrate

Solutions
Objective : To investigate the action of saliva and 3 M Hydrochloric Acid in Two
Carbohydrate Solutions
Results :
Table 1 : Identification of types of carbohydrate in solutions
Observations
Solution A

Solution B

Benedict's Test: Opaque Brick-red

precipitate form from transparent blue
solution
Iodine Test : Transparent YellowishBrown colour solution remains the
same
Benedict's Test : Transparent Blue
solution remains the same

Conclusion
Presence reducing sugar ,
starch is absent

Presence of Starch , absent of

reducing sugar

Iodide Test :Transparent YellowishBrown colour changed to Dark-blue in

colour
Table 2 : Identification of the presence of reducing sugar in solutions
Tube

Contents

Temp
(C)

Benedict's Test - Colour Observation

After 5th min (from After 35th min (from
tubes 1-4 into 1'-4') tubes 1-4 into 1'-4')

10 ml solution B + 1ml
saliva

37

Transparent Blue
colour solution turns
green

10ml solution B + 1ml 3 M

HCl

37

10ml solution B + 1ml 3 M

HCl

95

Transparent Blue
solution remains
unchanged
Transparent Blue
solution remains
unchanged

10ml solution B + 1ml saliva

95

Transparent Blue
solution remains
unchanged

Brick-red precipitate
is formed from
transparent blue
solution. After awhile ,
two layer of solution
formed.
Transparent Blue
solution remains
unchanged
Initial transparent
Blue Colour solution
turns into green
solution
Transparent Blue
solution remains
unchanged

Discussion :
1)
Enzyme involved in this experiment is amylase enzyme which found richly in our
saliva.
2)
Salivary amylase is highly specify to breakdown Polysaccharides into
Monosaccharide and Disaccharide. Enzyme work as a biological catalyst . Enzyme is used
to speed up biochemical reaction by lowering the activation energy . Substrate bind into the
active site of the protein and product is formed . Enzyme will not be used up in this process.
Rate of reaction will increase due to the present of the enzyme .
4)
Hydrochloric acid , HCl contain high concentration of H+ ions . At high temperature ,
hydrogen ion hydrolyse solution B and break the bond between solution B. Solution B
(Polysaccharide) is hydrolysed to form disaccharide and monosaccharide .
5)
Amylase works best at 37C. The solution B in test tube 1 is broken down completely
by the saliva enzyme. At temperature 95C , salivary amylase denatured .This is because
high temperature causes the enzyme to vibrate violently , and it would break down the weak
bond holding the tertiary structure and followed by the strong bond to be broken down .
Destroying the 3D structure of salivary amylase enzyme. The active sites of enzyme altered
and were no longer complementary to the substrate. Enzyme lose its catalytic function . No
glucose was produced, hence no reaction took place. Causing the solution to remain blue in
colour at 95C
6.a)
The product of the experiment conducted in Table 2 is predicted to be
Monosaccharide and Disaccharide . The example of disaccharide molecule is Maltose and
monosaccharide molecule is Glucose .
6.b)
Monosaccharide is the simplest form of carbohydrate . Monosaccharide are the
common base unit of all carbohydrate molecule. The most commonly known
monosaccharide is glucose . Disaccharide molecule consists of exactly two unit of
monosaccharide joined together .Example of disaccharide molecule is maltose.
7)
For test 1 ,identification of types of carbohydrate , polyiodide complex is formed with
the presence of starch . For test 2 , identification of the presence of reducing sugar ,
Benedict's solution is used . Benedict's solution contains copper sulphate. Reducing sugars
will reduce soluble alkaline blue copper sulphate containing copper (II) ions , Cu2+ to
insoluble red-brown copper oxide containing copper (I) . The latter is seen as a precipitate .
8)
Carbohydrate in solution B is more complex compared to Carbohydrate in solution A.
This is because Carbohydrate in solution B is starch . Starch is a type of polysaccharides .
The structure of Starch is much more complex. Polysaccharides is made out of many simple
sugar , monosaccharide and it has a complex structure . Carbohydrate in solution A is either
monosaccharide or disaccharide . Hence , structure of molecule in solution B has a more
complex structure .
9)
Saliva will convert starch to monosaccharide and disaccharides at 37C and
Hydrochloric acid will hydrolyse polysaccharide to monosaccharide and disaccharide at
95C .