CLASS 10

BIOLOGY
CHAPTER 5(PART-2)
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
EXPERIMENTS ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

EXPERIMENT ON DESTARCHING OF LEAF:

1. Leaf is kept in darkness for about 24 to 48 hrs to remove the complete starch present.

PROCEDURE FOR STARCH TEST: follow the steps:

1. Detach a leaf from the plant.
2. Dip it in boiling water for 60 secs to kill the cells (this destroys all the enzymes in
the leaf).
3. Boil this leaf in methylated spirit over water bath ( this removes chlorophyll from
the leaves). As the methylated spirit is highly inflammable so water bath is
preferred .
4. The colourless leaf is again dipped in hot water to soften it.
5. Add iodine solution over the leaf.
6. The part of leaf which shows blue-black colour shows that starch is present. If
brown, no starch is formed.

EXPERIMENT NO. 1

AIM: To prove that CO2 is necessary for photosynthesis

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a destarched plant.

2. Insert half of the leaf in a wide mouthed bottle containing KOH solution.
3. Dip the cut end of the petiole in a beaker containing water.
4. Keep this apparatus in sunlight for 6 hours.
5. Perform iodine test.

OBSERVATION:

1. The part of leaf outside the bottle turns blue–black .

2. The part of leaf inside the bottle shows brown colour.

INFERENCE:

1. Part outside the leaf takes part in photosynthesis.

2. All the CO2 is absorbed by KOH/NaOH solution inside the bottle hence the leaf is
devoid of CO2. This proves that CO2 is necessary for photosynthesis.
EXPERIMENT NO. 2

AIM: To prove that light is necessary for photosynthesis.

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a destarched plant.

2. Cover one of the leaves with black paper on which design is cut.
3. Keep the plant with fixed light screen in light for 6 hours.
4. Perform starch test.

OBSERVATION: The parts of the leaf exposed to sunlight shows positive starch test( blu black
colour ) .

INFERENCE: light is necessary for photosynthesis.

EXPERIMENT NO.3

AIM: To prove that Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a potted plant with variegated leaves.

2. Destarch the leaves .
3. Keep the destarched plant in sunlight.
4. Detach a leaf. Draw the outline showing green colour on the leaf.
5. Remove chlorophyll from the leaf.
6. Perform starch test.

OBSERVATION:

1. The areas which was green shows positive starch test .

2. The remaining part shows brown colour.
INFERENCE: Photosynthesis takes part in green parts only (parts which possess chlorophyll).

EXPERIMENT NO. 4

AIM: To prove that O2 is evolved in photosynthesis.

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a beaker and fill ¾ th with water.

 2. Take a funnel and place few hydrilla twigs and place it in the beaker as shown in the
diagram.
3. Keep an inverted test tube filled with water.
4. Keep the apparatus in the sunlight for few hours.

OBSERVATION: Bubbles of oxygen gas are seen coming out from the funnel.

INFERENCE: O2 is evolved in photosynthesis.

EXPERIMENT NO. 5

AIM: To prove that different wavelengths of light have different effects on the rate of
photosynthesis.

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a potted plant and destarch its leaves.

2. Put one leaf in Ganong’s large light screen box having glass strips of three different
colours i.e, blue, red green.
3. Keep the plant for few hours in the sunlight.
4. Perform starch test.

OBSERVATION:

1. The part under red colour shows dark blue black showing maximum starch formation.
2. Blue has lesser starch.
 3. Green colour shows no starch formation.

INFERENCE: Photosynthesis takes place in the visible part (3800 to 7800) of electromagnetic
radiations. Blue and red regions of the visible spectrum are the most effective and green the
least.

CARBON CYCLE:

QUESTIONS-ANSWERS:

Q1. The diagram given represents an experiment conducted to prove the importance of a
factor in photosynthesis.

Study the same and then answer the questions that follow:
 (i) Name the factor.
(ii) Why was the plant kept in dark room before conducting the experiment?
(iii) Why was the experimental leaf kept in (1) boiling water (2) methylated spirit?
(iv) Name the solution used to test starch in the leaf.
(v) What will we observe in the experimental leaf at the end of the starch test?
(vi) Give a balanced chemical equation to represent the process of photosynthesis.

A1.

(i) Sunlight
(ii) To destarch the leaves.
(iii) (1) to kill the cells (2) removes chlorophyll.
(iv) Iodine.
(v) At the end of the starch test it is observed that the covered part of the leaf remains
brown and the exposed part of the leaf remains blue-black.
(vi) 6CO2 + 12 H2O SUNLIGHT/chlorophyll----🡪 C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2

Q2. The diagram given represents an experiment conducted to prove the importance of a
factor in photosynthesis.

Study the same and then answer the questions that follow:
 (i) What is the aim of the experiment?
(ii) How is the chlorophyll removed from the leaf?
(iii) Why is it necessary to grease the glass sheet?
(iv) What is the purpose of KOH?

A2.

(i) To show that CO2 is needed for photosynthesis.

(ii) By boiling the leaf in alcohol.
(iii) To prevent the air entering into the jar.
(iv) To absorb CO2.

Q3. The diagram given represents an experiment conducted to prove the importance of a
factor in photosynthesis.
 Study the same and then answer the questions that follow:

(i) What is the object of the experiment?

(ii) What is the special condition inside the flask?
(iii) What is the chemical substance numbered 2?
(iv) In what way will the three leaves (A, B and C) differ at the end of the experiment,
when tested with iodine solution?
(v) Name the process which is reverse of photosynthesis in terms of the end
products..
(vi) Write the overall chemical equation for the process named in (v).

A3.

(i) To show that CO2 is necessary for photosynthesis.

(ii) The special condition is that the flask is free from CO2 as the chemical absorbs all
the CO2.
(iii) The chemical substance is KOH.
(iv) When tested with iodine leaf B and C show starch test while leaf A will not show
starch test, since KOH absorbs all the CO2 and no photosynthesis takes place.
(v) Respiration
(vi) 6CO2 + 12 H2O sunlight----🡪 C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2
chlorophyll

Q4. Give reasons for the following:

(i) Green leaves are thin and broad.

(ii) Chloroplasts are called energy converters.
(iii) Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis.
(iv) All life on earth would come to an end if there were no green plants.
(v) Dark reaction is called biosynthetic phase.

A4.

(i) Leaves are broad to absorb maximum sunlight. The thinness of the leaves increases
the fast movement of materials by shortening the distance between the cells.
 (ii) Chloroplast absorb light energy and converts into chemical energy during
photosynthesis during the process of photosynthesis and give out oxygen which is
life supporting for all organisms.
(iii) Chlorophyll traps solar energy and converts it into chemical energy.
(iv) Green plants manufacture food during the process of photosynthesis and give out
oxygen which is a life supporting gas for all organisms.
(v) Light is not required in dark reaction but occurs simultaneously with light reaction.
In this process glucose is produced by a number of steps using certain enzymes.

Q5. Differentiate between the following:

(i) Light reaction and Dark reaction.

(ii) Autotrophs and heterotrophs.
(iii) Stroma and grana.
(iv) Chloroplast and chlorophyll.

A5.

LIGHT REACTION DARK REACTION

(i)It takes place in the presence of sunlight. (i)It does not require light.
(ii)It occurs in grana of chloroplasts . (ii)It occurs in the stroma of chloroplast.
(iii)Its products are organic compounds.
(iii)Its products are ATP and NADPH.

AUTOTROPHS
(i)They can prepare their own food.
(ii)They contain chlorophyll.
STROMA
(i)It is the site of dark reaction.
(ii)It is a non-green granular matrix.
CHLOROPLAST
(i)It is an organelle of the cell.
(ii)It is living.
HETEROTROPHS
(i)They cannot prepare their own ffod.
(ii)They do not contain chlorophyll.
GRANA
(i)It is the site of light reaction.
(ii)It is green flattened sac-like structure.
CHLOROPHYLL
(i)It is the green pigment in chloroplast.
(ii)It is non-living.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Attempt all the questions.

2. Learn the chapter thoroughly.