Name_______________________________

Date________________________________

DNA Extraction Questions

Observations: To answer some of the following questions you may use your book or
internet resources to gain more information.

1. Describe the DNA that you extracted from the pea cells.

2. Can you directly observe the double helix structure in the DNA sample you extracted?
Why or why not?

Analysis and Conclusions

1. Where is DNA located within the cell?

2. Why doesn’t DNA just float to the surface every time we blend food in the blender?

3. Why the process we have just performed is called “extraction” of DNA?

4. What are the cell components that have to be broken down to get the DNA in pure form and
which of the chemicals/treatments we added perform these breakdowns? Below are some of
the treatments:

a. Why do you think that the peas had to be blended?

b. Why do you think you needed to add liquid dish detergent (Hint: Think about the
polar heads of lipids and the similarly polar heads of soap molecules)?
 c. Why was it necessary to add the meat tenderizer (Hint: What enzymes were found
in the meat tenderizer)?

d. What was the function of the alcohol?

Follow Up
Thought question: This experiment can be performed using a variety of different tissue types
including chicken liver and wheat germ. The peas work exceptionally well because plants have
enormous amounts of DNA compared to animals in some cases. How do you reconcile the
observation that the DNA of an apparently simple organism like a plant has more base pairs (is
longer in total) than the DNA of a human (which we are quick to consider complex organisms)?
Does more DNA mean more complexity? Give at least 2 explanations for how this can be true.