YAYASAN MONDIAL ANUGRAH INDONESIA

SMP/SMA EXPAT DEPARTMENT

Jl. Pasir Putih-Ocarina, Kelurahan Bengkong Sadai, Kecamatan Bengkong
Website: www.sekolahmondial.com / Email: info@sekolahmondial.com

Name:

Grade and Section:

Chemistry Laboratory Sheet # 1

(Brown Paper Bag Test for Lipids)

Purpose

The purpose of this lab is to test for the presence of a specific macromolecule using a variety of reagents.

Brown paper bags are used to test for lipids. The paper bag becomes translucent (allows light to pass through) in the presence of

lipids.

Materials

Brown paper bags

•
Dropper
•
Vegetable oil
•
Water
•
Milk
•
Egg white
•
Sugar solution
•
Butter
•
Any type of nut
•
Procedure

Set up 7 pieces of brown paper or one whole sheet of paper bag, divided into 7 quadrants. If you wish to create quadrants don’t
1.
forget to label each sample name.

Put 2 drops of sample in each quadrant, for the case of egg white, butter and nuts. Just put small of sample in each quadrant or
2.
individual paper bag.

Observe any changes after 30 minutes. If the brown paper becomes translucent, lipids are present.
3.
Complete the table, by identifying the changes happen for each sample and identify which sample contains lipids.
4.
Brown Paper Sample Changes observed Positive or Negative Test
Translucent +
2 drops of Vegetable oil
Opaque -
2 drops of Water
Translucent +
2 drops of Milk
Opaque -
2 drops of Egg white
Opaque -
2 drops of Sugar solution
Translucent +
2 drops of Butter
Translucent +
Any type of nut
 YAYASAN MONDIAL ANUGRAH INDONESIA
SMP/SMA EXPAT DEPARTMENT
Jl. Pasir Putih-Ocarina, Kelurahan Bengkong Sadai, Kecamatan Bengkong
Website: www.sekolahmondial.com / Email: info@sekolahmondial.com

Laboratory Questions:

What does brown paper bag use to test for? Explain your answer.
1.
In this experiment, we use brown paper to see if there are Lipids present in these substances by adding said

substances onto the brown paper and waiting around 30 minutes. The core concept of this experiment is that lipids and grease

have a high boiling point as well as being non-volatile (i.e., they do not evaporate into gas). On the other hand, Water at room

temperature will evaporate because water can dissipate enough heat from the surrounding air. 

Which means that after 30 minutes, water will evaporate whereas the substances that contain lipids will stay causing

the brown paper to be “translucent.” The lipid patch cannot absorb enough heat to evaporate and will remain trapped within the

brown paper. The light ray will be diffracted by the lipid which allows light to flow from one side of the paper to the other.

2. Explain the results from your tests - describe any color changes and what they mean.

Vegetable oil - after putting drops of vegetable oil on the brown paper, it developed a translucent spot. This indicates that vegetable oil

contains lipid in it.

Water - after putting drops of water on the brown paper, no changes occurred. This indicates the absence of lipid in water.

Milk - after putting drops of milk on the brown paper, it developed a translucent spot. This indicates that milk contains lipid in

Egg white - after giving the drops of egg white on the brown paper, no obvious changes occurred. This indicates the absence of lipid in

egg whites.

Sugar solution - after giving the drops of sugar solution on the brown paper, no obvious changes occurred. This indicates the absence

of lipid in the sugar solution.

Butter - after giving the drops of butter on the brown paper, it developed a translucent spot. This indicates that butter contains lipid in

it.

Cashew Nut - after giving the drops of cashew nut on the brown paper, it developed a translucent spot. This indicates that nuts contain

lipid in it.
YAYASAN MONDIAL ANUGRAH INDONESIA
SMP/SMA EXPAT DEPARTMENT
Jl. Pasir Putih-Ocarina, Kelurahan Bengkong Sadai, Kecamatan Bengkong
Website: www.sekolahmondial.com / Email: info@sekolahmondial.com