Carbon dioxide and Photosynthesis

Experiment to prove the necessity of carbon dioxide in

photosynthesis
 PROCEDURE
For proving the necessity of
carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis, the following
steps are performed:
A potted plant is taken and
placed in complete darkness for
24 to 72 hours to destarch it.
Take potassium hydroxide in a
conical flask stoppered with a
rubber cork. Insert one leaf (still
attached to the parent plant)
through a hole in the rubber
cork. Potassium hydroxide
absorbs all the leftover carbon
dioxide from the flask.
The entire arrangement is
exposed to sunlight for 6
hours.
The leaf placed in the conical
flask with potassium
hydroxide solution is tested
with iodine solution. This
does not turn blue-black.
Inference: The leaf trapped
inside the conical flask did
not perform photosynthesis
as it did not receive any
carbon dioxide. This is the
reason why it did not answer
a positive test for starch.
 The test for Starch in Leaves
The presence of starch in leaves
can be tested by the Iodine test.
When we remove chlorophyll from
the leaf by boiling it in alcohol and
then putting two drops of iodine
solution, it is a colour change to
blue indicates the presence of
starch.