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ACTIVITY
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3 Biochemical Processes
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ACTIVITY 3
Biochemical Processes

INTRODUCTION

Living systems are composed of inorganic and organic molecules. Life is brought about by the
occurrence of various biochemical processes within the living component, specifically the cell. To obtain
nutrients inside the cells and to remove waste products, selective migration of ions and molecules
through cell membranes occurs. There are two types of processes involved. Passive transport does not
require energy and is exhibited by the process of diffusion. Diffusion is the movement of molecules away
from the area of their highest concentration. Diffusion in air or water as a medium has some difficulties. If
the substance is dissolved and the particles cannot be seen, then diffusion could not be observed. In
water, slight movements may disturb the pattern of diffusion. A gel which consists of a framework of solid
particles and has the ability to trap water in their interstices is more often used as a medium.
Substances in solution also affect surface tension of the solvent in biological materials. Inorganic
salts increase surface tension while surfactant, emulsifying or stabilizing agents decrease it. A very
important application of this is the digestion of fats. Bile salts have the capacity to decrease surface
tension by allowing agitation in the intestinal tract to break fat globules into minute sizes. This hastens
digestion and subsequent absorption of materials.
The active transport involves the movement of substances across a membrane usually against a
gradient, towards a higher concentration. This process requires energy. The process where solvent and
other small molecules can pass through a membrane is also known as dialysis. It is similar to osmosis
but the holes in the membrane are larger. As a result, hydrated ions can pass through them.

OBJECTIVE
1. To illustrate the processes that occurs in biochemical systems using models.
2. To compare diffusion of substances with varying molecular weights and temperatures.
3. To compare the effects of different solutions on fats.
4. To visualize what happens to the blood cell when submerged in different concentrations of salt
solution.

MATERIALS
Petri dish (3), 1- 100 mL beaker, 1-250 mL beaker, thermometer, tripod, wire gauze, 4-test tubes, test
tube rack, 3-glass slides, spatula, aspirator, 1 - 5ml pipet, wash bottle with distilled water, stirring rod,
string, margarine, chicken bouillon, microscope, 4 test tubes, dropper, test tube rack, 4 glass slides, 4
cover slips, pencil

REAGENTS
Distilled water, potassium permanganate crystals, potassium dichromate, methyl violet, 1% AgNO3
solution, 10% NaOH solution, 0.5% CuSO4, 1.0% Na2CO3 solution, bile solution, soap solution, bouillon
solution, 0.1% NaCl solution, 2% NaCl solution, 0.9% w/v NaCl solution, defibrinated blood

PROCEDURE

A. Dialysis
1. Obtain one – 10 cm long dialysis tubing or gastric lining (longanisa membrane) of about 2 – 2.5
cm in diameter.
2. Tie a string around the lower portion to close one end. Wet the lining and open the other end with
a stirring rod to check if a pouch is made.
3. Pour about 25 ml of chicken bouillon solution to the prepared pouch and tie a string on the upper
portion.
4. Wash off with distilled water any spilled solution on the outside of the sac.
5. Place the pouch in a beaker and add distilled water just enough to immerse about three fourths of
it.
6. Allow the solution to stand for an hour at room temperature.
7. Test the dialysate by doing the following:
a. To 1 ml of the dialysate, add 1 ml of 1% AgNO3. Record your observations.
b. To 1 ml of the dialysate, add 2 ml of 10% NaOH and 5 drops of 0.5% copper sulfate. Stir
the solution. Record your observations.

B. Surface Tension
1. Apply a thin, uniform coating of margarine to 3 glass slides.
2. On three separate petri dishes, place the following solutions.
a. 1.0% sodium carbonate
b. soap solution
c. bile solution
3. Soak one coated slide in each of the solutions in the petri dish for 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Pour off the solution and rinse each slide several times with distilled water using a wash bottle.
5. Hold the slide up against the light and observe.

C. Diffusion
1. Place a horizontal and vertical scale in cm on the grid of a piece of graphing paper.
2. Place 20 ml of distilled water in a petri dish and record its temperature. Place on top of the
graphing paper. Allow the water to stand still.
3. Using a small spatula, carefully place a crystal of potassium permanganate on one of the petri
dishes
4. Measure the diameter of the colored area of each crystal immediately after adding the crystal and
record the measurement in millimeter for 0 min. Using half minute intervals, measure the
diameters of the colored zone around the crystal until a time of 5 minutes. Record both time and
diameters.
5. In a beaker, heat 20 ml of distilled water to a temperature of 80oC.
6. Repeat the procedure 2 to 4 but this time using the heated water. Record observations.

A. Osmosis
1. To each of four slides, place a drop of defibrinated blood. Label slide #1 as the control.
2. To the other slides, add a drop of the following solutions in the designated slide:
a. slide #2 0.1% NaCl
b. slide #3 2% NaCl
c. slide #4 0.9% NaCl
3. Examine the appearance of the blood cells from each of the slides under the microscope.