Ari Rubin

Weiland-2
10/3/06

Lab #9: The Chemistry of Cells

Data:
Carbs and Starches
Substance Test w/ Benedict’s Solution Test w/ Iodine
Control Stayed blue None
Glucose Dark brown None
Sucrose Light blue/green None
Lactose Orange/light brown None
Starch Lime green Dark black immediately
Cellulose Brownish green Dark brown
Diet soda Stayed blue None
Sprite Dark brown None
Fructose Orange None
Maltose Dark brown None
Potatoes Blue-green-yellow Black
Onions Green-yellow-orange-bright None
orange

Sudan IV
Stained oil part (both non-polar)
Does not come off in water

Nucleic Acid
Yeast + Diche Darker blue
Control + Diche Clear, after cooling smoky white

Proteins
Egg yolk+ Biuret
Egg white + Biuret
Control + Biuret
Does not really combine,
yolk bottom, purple on top
Combines, turns purple
Light blue

Coagulation
Veg. Oil + egg white Egg bubbles, solidifies immediately
Veg. Oil + Egg yolk Popping, turned brownish yellow, solidifies

Carbs- The sugars with a positive test with the benedict’s solution were glucose, lactose,
sprite, fructose, maltose, potatoes, and onions. All of these solutions are aldoses (except
fructose) which react with benedict’s solution. Benedict’s solution contains blue copper
(II) sulfate, which is reduced to red copper (I) oxide by aldehydes. Aldose’s O and C
double bond helps this process work.
 Fructose is a keytose, it should not have reacted with the benedict’s solution.
Keytone sugars should not react because they do not have an O and C double bond
exposed, it is in the middle of the molecule. But, fructose is also a monosaccharide,
which react with Benedict’s solution.

Starch: Starch, cellulose, and potatoes were all positive in the Iodine test. This is because
they all contain starch, which react with iodine. Although the details of this reaction are
not fully known but scientists yet, it is thought that iodine reacts with starch because he
iodine ions fit inside the coils of amylose, the charge transfers between the iodine and the
starch, and the energy level spacings in the resulting complex correspond to the
absorption spectrum in the visible light region.1

Nucleic Acid: A positive test for a nucleic acid in the diche’s reagent means it contains
DNA or RNA. All living organisms contain DNA or RNA, thus, we know this substance
is alive. We saw this in the yeast, yeast is a living organism, and it reacted with diche’s
reagent.

Fats: Sudan IV, a substance we used in our experiment, did not react with water. Thus, we
know Sudan IV is hydrophobic. Hydrophobic is the property where a molecule repels
from water. Sudan IV did react with oil. Thus, we know that oil is a fat, and water isn’t.

Proteins: Although a protein is made up of many amino acids that are linked together, it is
the final shape of a protein that determines how a protein reacts with its environment. If
the shape of a protein is changed when some external stress is applied to it (such as heat,
or acid), it will no longer be able to carry out its cellular function.2 This process is known
as denaturing. One example of denaturing that is visible is an eggs changing of solubility
when it is heated. This egg can never go back to its original state after it is denatured. The
egg yolk and egg white tell us that cholesterols do not react with Biuret, NaOH. No H is
terminal in cholestorol, and an H is needed there to react with NaOH so dehydration
synthesis can take place. Coagulation tells us that when an external stress is put upon a
protein, like heat on the egg, the structure of the protein changes.

So, why did the Benedict’s solution change to multiple colors while we were heating
some substances? As I stated earlier, Benedict’s solution contains blue copper (II) sulfate.
The sugars that tested positive in Benedict’s solution react with the copper (II) sulfate in a
reduction equation. The Cu+2 ion turns into Cu2O, which then precipitates. Cuprous
Oxide, the precipitate, is a reddish-brown color. As the amount of the oxide increases, and
amounts of the blue copper (II) sulfate decrease, nice color sequences form. This is why
in our experiment, we saw glucose and Benedict’s solution change from blue, to yellow,
to orange, to brown, and finally to a dark brown. Here is the reaction that takes place:
2 Cu+2 + 2OH-1 + 2 electrons from reducing agent (such as glucose or maltose
with heating) → Cu2O + H2O

1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch#Tests
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%29