Table of Contents (Unit 1)

Skills Assessed
Page no. Experiment Activity Date ORR A/I M/M Draw
no. ing
1 Qualitative Analysis of Food:
Reducing sugars, non-reducing
sugars, protein, starch and fat.
2 Qualitative Analysis of Ascorbic Acid

3 Qualitative Analysis of Glucose

WATER POTENTIAL
4 Effect of Different Salt
Concentration on Plant Cells
ENZYMES
5 Effect of Temperature on the Rate of
an Enzyme Controlled Reaction
ELECTRON MICROGRAPH
6 Electron Micrograph
PLANT HISTOLOGY
7 Onion Epidermis

8 Transverse Section of a
Dicotyledonous Root (Plan)
9 Mitosis in an Onion Root Tip Cell
Animal Histology
10 Human Cheek Cell

11 Transverse Section of Human Ovary

12 Transverse Section of Mature

Graafian Follicle
13 Longitudinal Section of Testis

14 Transverse Section of Seminiferous

Tubule
Genetics
15 Chi-Squared Test
16 Model Showing the Stages of
Meiosis
17 Planning and Designing 1
18 Planning and Designing 2
19 Investigative Assessment

1
 CAPE BIOLOGY UNIT 1 LAB MANUAL

Experiment 1

Title: Food Test

Aim: To determine the biochemicals present in various food substances.

Apparatus/ materials: test tubes, test tube rack and holders, dilute Sodium Hydroxide, Copper
Sulphate solution, food substances, Benedict’s reagent, Iodine solution, Ethanol

Procedure: See reference material or pages (111-113) of Biological Sciences.

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Experiment 2

Title: Qualitative Analysis

Aim: To determine the concentration of ascorbic acid in orange juice.

Apparatus/ materials: test tubes, test tube rack, syringe, glass rod, orange juice,
dichlorophenol, Standard solutions of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 4.0 mg/cm3 ascorbic acid.

Procedure:

1) 2 cm3 of DCPIP was added to a test tube using a syringe.

2) A second test tube was filled with 4 mg/ cm3 ascorbic solution
3) The ascorbic acid solution was added drop by drop to the DCPIP solution and
stirred gently with a glass rod. The number of drops needed to decolourise the
DCPIP solution was recorded in a table.
4) The procedure was repeated using fresh samples of DCPIP each time with the
other three concentrations of ascorbic acid and with orange juice.
5) The results were tabulated and a second Test done to determine mean values.
6) A graph showing number of drops of ascorbic acid added against concentration
of ascorbic acid was plotted and the information used to determine the
concentration of ascorbic acid present in the orange juice sample.

Experiment 3

Title: Qualitative Analysis

Aim: To determine the concentration of glucose in orange juice.

Apparatus/ materials: test tubes, test tube rack, Benedict’s reagent, syringe, Bunsen burner,
tripod stand, beaker, orange juice, standard solutions of (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4) % glucose

Procedure:

1) 1 cm3 of 0.1% glucose solution along with equal volume of Benedict’s solution
was added to a test tube using a 1 cm3 syringe.
2) The test tube and its contents were heated in boiling water for 30 seconds.
3) The colour change of the precipitate was noted and the results recorded in a
table.

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 4) The experiment was repeated using different concentrations of glucose solutions
and the results recorded.
5) The Benedict’s test was repeated using the sample of orange juice and the
results recorded.
6) The results were compared to determine the % of glucose in the sample of
orange juice.

Experiment 4

Title: Water Potential

Aim: To investigate the water potential of potato tissues.

Apparatus/ materials: petri dishes, scalpel, irish potato, cutting tile, ruler, stop watch, salt
solutions (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5)M

Procedure:

1) The potato was peeled and cut into 2 cm * 0.2 cm strips.

2) Different concentrations of salt solutions were poured into five different petri
dishes.
3) Two strips of potato were immersed into each petri dish and left for forty
minutes after which the changes were observed.
4) A graph showing percentage change against salt solution was plotted.

Experiment 5

Title: Enzymes

Aim: To investigate the effect of substrate concentration on the rate of reaction

Apparatus/ materials: test tubes, potato, scalpel, ruler, delivery tube, stop watch, hydrogen
peroxide, measuring cylinder.

Procedure:

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 1) Two test tubes were labeled (A) and (B) and 1 cm3 of 0.5 M H2O2 were added to
test tube A.
2) Five pieces of 2 cm3 potato discs were cut and then added to test tube A
3) The boiling tube (Test tube A) was sealed with a one holed bung carrying a
delivery tube. The other end of the delivery tube was immersed in test tube B,
which was half filled with water.
4) The number of bubbles given off in one minute was recorded in the table
5) Steps 1-4 was repeated using (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) M H202 to give three additional
readings.
6) Steps 1-5 was then repeated again using (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) M H2O2 solutions
respectively.
7) A graph with H2O2 concentration against the number of bubbles given off per
minute was plotted.

Experiment 6

Title: Enzymes

Aim: To investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction

Apparatus/ materials: test tubes, potato, scalpel, ruler, delivery tube, stop watch, hydrogen
peroxide, measuring cylinder, water bath, ice, thermometer.

Procedure:

1) 10 cm3 of 1 M H2O2 solution was added to a boiling tube

2) Five pieces of 2 cm3 potato discs were cut using a scalpel and ruler and the
potato discs were then added to a test tube labeled A
3) The boiling tube (test tube A) was sealed with a one holed bung carrying the
delivery tube. The other end was immersed in test tube B, which was half filled
with water.
4) The boiling tube containing H2O2 and the potato cubes were placed in a water
bath at an appropriate temperature monitored using a thermometer.
5) Ice cubes were used to vary the temperature of the other test tubes.
6) The number of bubbles given off per minute at the different temperatures was
recorded.
7) The procedure (steps 1-6) was repeated two times
8) A graph was plotted showing number of molecules of oxygen gas produced with
temperature.

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Experiment 7-8

Title: Identification of Electron Micrographs

The following questions refer to figures 1 of Exp 7

1) Identify the electron micrograph

2) Give three reasons for your choice
3) Label parts A-F
4) Measure the length of the image in mm
5) If the actual length of the specimens are 2 Micrometers, calculate its magnification

The following questions refer to figure 2 of Exp 8

1) Identify the electron Micrograph

2) Give three reasons for your choice
3) Label parts A-D
4) Measure the length of the image in mm
5) Calculate the actual length of the cell in the figure given that the magnification is X
80,000

Experiment 9-11

Title: Plant Histology

1) Draw and label plan diagram of onion epidermis

2) Draw and label Transverse Section of a Dicotyledonous Root (plan drawing)
3) Draw and label Transverse Section of a Dicotyledonous Root X400 (Optional)
4) Draw diagram showing Mitosis in an Onion Root Tip Cell

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Experiment 12-16

Title: Animal Histology

1) Draw and label Human Cheek Cell

2) Draw and label Transverse Section of Human Ovary
3) Draw and label Transverse Section of Mature Graafian Follicle
4) Draw and label Longitudinal Section of Testis
5) Draw and label Transverse Section of Seminiferous Tubule

Experiment 17

Title: Chi-Squared Test

In poultry, black feather coloured (B), is dominant to red (b), and a crested head (C), is
dominant to a plain comb (c). F1 birds were put in a pen together to mate and the new chickens
were characterized as soon as their feathers were recognizable. There were:

 191 Black crested chickens

 58 Black plain combs
 61 Red crested chickens
 10 Red plain combed

Apply a Chi-squared test to these results to determine whether the observed results differ from
those expected.

Experiment 18

Title: Model Showing the Stages of Meiosis