Starch test on variegated

SB6a.1 leaves

Your teacher may watch to see if you can…

● follow instructions carefully
● work safely.

Introduction
You are going to investigate the effect of a lack of chlorophyll and light on photosynthesis. The glucose made
by photosynthesis is stored as starch, and so you can work out whether photosynthesis has occurred by
testing leaves for starch. Some plants have leaves with white areas. These leaves are said to be variegated,
and the white patches contain no chlorophyll.

Aim
To find out whether chlorophyll and/or light are needed for photosynthesis.

Method

Apparatus Safety
● eye protection ● dropper Wear eye protection.
● boiling tubes ● variegated plant Hot water and glassware can cause burns;
● boiling tube holder ● Petri dishes use boiling tube holders whenever necessary.
● boiling tube rack ● white tile Ethanol is flammable; make sure there are no
● forceps ● ethanol naked flames in the laboratory.
● hot water bath ● clock/stop clock Iodine is harmful to the eyes. If you get iodine
● iodine solution on your hands, rinse them thoroughly with
water and do not rub your eyes.
Wash your hands after the experiment.

Part 1 – Setting up the experiment (some of these steps may have been done for you)
A Take two similar variegated plants and place both in a dark cupboard for 24 hours. Ensure the soil in the
pot is moist but not over-watered before leaving the plants. This will remove the starch from the leaves
(destarch them). Check that the leaves are destarched by testing them, following the instructions for Part 2.
B Put one plant in the light for 24 hours and leave the other in the dark for a further 24 hours.

Part 2 – Leaf starch test (instructions below are for one leaf; repeat as required)
C Half-fill a boiling tube with water. Take the leaf you want to test and place it into the boiling tube using
forceps. Make sure it is submerged.
D Place your tube in a rack in a hot water bath that is close to boiling.
E After five minutes, use the boiling tube holder to take the tube out of the bath. Carefully pour away the hot
water. Make sure the leaf stays in the boiling tube.
F Add enough ethanol to the boiling tube to just submerge the leaf. Place the tube back into the hot water
bath so that the ethanol can boil.
G Allow the leaf to decolourise in the boiling ethanol. (This takes about five minutes.)
H Use the boiling tube holder to take the tube out of the bath. Carefully dispose of the ethanol as instructed
by your teacher. The leaf will be pale and brittle at this stage.
I Pour a little hot water into the boiling tube and leave it for one minute. This will soften the leaf again. Pour
the water away. Carefully remove the leaf and lay it out flat in a Petri dish on top of a white tile.
J Add plenty of iodine solution to the leaf. Let it soak into the leaf and observe whether any colour change
occurs. A dark blue–black colour will develop wherever starch is present.

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 Sta
arch tes
st on varriegated
d
SB6a.1 leaves
s

Name
N Class
s Daate

Recording
R g your results
1 Record yyour results in
n the table below.

Part of leaf Efffect of iodin

ne solution
green, 2
24 hours in dark,
d then 24
4 hours in ligh
ht
green, 4
48 hours in dark
d
white, 2
24 hours in dark, then 24 hours in ligh
ht

white, 4
48 hours in dark

Considerin
C ng your re
esults/con
nclusions
2 a In wh
hich parts of the leaf had photosynthe
esis been tak
king place? ___________
_ ___________
___________
_

____
__________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

b Expla
ain why phottosynthesis had
h been occcurring in the
ese parts. __
___________
___________
___________
_
____
__________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

3 Complete
e the word eq
quation below
w to summa rise photosy
ynthesis and starch produuction.
energy transferred
t b
by light
carbon dioxide + wa
ater ___
__________ + ________
______

_______
___________
______
polyme
erisation

__
___________
_____

Evaluation
E n
4 Why wass it necessaryy to test a lea
af from a desstarched plan
nt in step A? __________
___________
___________
_

___________
_ __________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

5 Suggest w
why you nee
eded to deco
olourise the le
eaves with ethanol before
e adding iod ine.

___________
_ __________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

___________
_ __________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

6 a What does the re

esult for the variegated
v le
eaf tell you? __________
___________
___________
___________
_

_____
__________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

b Sugg
gest an altern
native explan
nation for thiss result. ___
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

_____
__________
___________
___________
__________
___________
___________
___________
___________
_

© Pearson Educcation Ltd 2016.. Copying permiitted for

purchasing
p instittution only. Thiss material is not copyright free. 2