PRE-LABORATORY REVIEW SHEET

EXPERIMENT NO. 1
PROTEINS

1. What are the precautionary measures given in the experiment and for what specific chemicals
are they given?
Concentrated nitric acid and 50% sodium hydroxide are both corrosive chemicals. If the skin
comes in contact with these chemicals, it is important that the part that has come into contact
with these chemicals be washed with water immediately. In addition, concentrated sulfuric
acid and acetic acid are also highly corrosive therefore the skin that has come into contact
with the chemical should be washed thoroughly with soap. Ether and ethanol are also highly
flammable so it should be observed that these items would not come into contact with open
flames. It is also important to remember to wash with soap and water the skin that has come
into contact with heavy metals as they are toxic.

2. What is the isoelectric point? What is its importance in the preparation of cottage cheese
(kesong puti)?
Isoelectric point is the pH of an aqueous solution of an amino acid (or peptide) at which the
molecules on average have no net charge. In cheese, pH level of 4.6 is the isoelectric point of
casein and this yields a very firm cheese that won't melt. The glue that holds the proteins in
cheese together is calcium meanwhile, acid is being produced by starter cultures and these
dissolves calcium. As the pH goes down, the structure softens due to the calcium glue
dissolving away and a cheese will begin to melt better. If the pH gets low enough the casein
proteins begin to become attracted to each other and the structure toughens again resulting
in cheese that won’t melt.

3. Give the names and symbols of the functional groups present in an amino acid that will be
positive with the given tests. What are the positive visible results of these tests?

Name of the
Symbol Visible Result
Functional Group
a. Lead acetate test Thiol -SH Black or Brown

b. Sakaguchi test Guanidine Red

c. Xanthoproteic test Aromatic R groups Yellow

d. FeCl3 Phenol Violet

4. Give the formula of aspartame. Explain the structural similarity to a peptide.

C14H18N2O5 is the formula of aspartame which is a dipeptide. The methyl ester of the dipeptide
of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine are joined together by the presence of an
amide bond just like the concept of a peptide.The protective groups commonly used in
peptide synthesis have been suggested for aspartame synthesis.

5. Are all amino acids reactive with the Biuret reagent? Why or why not?
The biuret test is a chemical test used for detecting the presence of peptide bonds.
Compounds containing two or more peptide bond give positive biuret result which results in a
violet colored product. This test is not applicable for some substances that contain only one
amino acid. So that would mean that not all amino acids are reactive with the biuret reagent.

6. How is denaturation made use of in the hospital setting?

Denaturation is the alteration of a protein shape through some form of external stress that
would result in it being no longer able to carry out its cellular function. This can be used in a
hospital setting like denaturing expired stocks of controlled drugs in the hospital premises.