Name: Rodeza Gay D.

Colinares Section: BS BIO 3C

Schedule: TTh 10:00-1:00pm Score : ____________________

Activity 4. PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Shaena Gaye Lunzaga

DATA SHEET

IV. RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS

Species: Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis Local Name: Pechay

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP: (paste your photos here) (10 pts.)

Fig. 1. Preparation of Materials.

B C

Fig. 2. A. T1 (Baking soda with light), B. T2 (Pure water after exposing to light),
C. T3 (Baking soda without light)

A B

Fig. 3. A. (Comparison of Baking soda & Pure water before exposing to Light), B.
(Baking soda before and without light).
OBSERVATIONS:

Table 1. Floating leaf disc within 15 minutes. (20 pts)

Time Elapsed (minutes) No. of floating leaf discs

T1 T2 T3
1 0 0 0
2 0 0 0
3 0 0 0
4 0 0 0
5 1 0 0
6 2 0 0
7 4 0 0
8 5 0 0
9 6 0 0
10 6 0 0
11 7 0 0
12 9 0 0
13 10 0 0
14 10 0 0
15 10 0 0

 T1 – Baking soda solution with light

 T2 – with pure water under light.
 T3 – Baking soda solution without light

Other Observations: (10 pts)

 Solution/ Treatment:

 T1 – In treatment 1 (T1), leaf discs started floating in less than 5 minutes of the 15
minutes observation. The baking soda solution enables the leaf discs to absorbed
carbo dioxide making the discs to sink on the bottom. As it was exposed to light, the
discs uses the carbon dioxide to undergo photosynthesis and produces oxygen
bubbles. These tiny bubbles was release from the leaf discs making it to float.

 T2 – In treatment 2 (T2), the leaf discs were submerged all throughout the duration
of the 15 minute observation. Only a single disk floated since it does not have an
access to a carbon dioxide source even though it is places near a light source and is
submerged in water which is vital to carry out photosynthesis. The lack of carbon
dioxide source made it impossible for the disks to float since it is important part of
photosynthesis wherein it is converted into glucose. Hence, photosynthesis is not
completed and no oxygen will be released which is the one responsible for the
floating of the leaf disks.

 T3- In treatment 3 (T3), the leaf discs were submerged all throughout the duration
of the 15 minute observation. This is because leaf discs in this treatment were not
exposed to any light source. Although water and carbon dioxide are present in this
treatment, photosynthesis still cannot occur because no light is present. Unless T2 is
subjected under sunlight or any light source, photosynthesis will never happen.

 Leaf disc:
- The leaf discs in the treatment that is exposed to a light source, with baking soda
solution (T1) is the only treatment in which photosynthesis will occur since it has
enough light exposure, the it has an adequate supply carbon dioxide from the baking
soda to fuel the process, and the dishwashing liquid enables the solution to be drawn
into the leaf, thereby allowing the leaf discs to float in T1 and unlike those in other
treatments.
 In Microsoft excel fill in your data and generate a graph. Paste your graph here. (10 pts)
V. DISCUSSIONS:

1. How does the suction assist the leaf disks in sinking? (3pts)
- This is due to the presence of air between the cells of leaves, which allows them to collect
CO2 gas from their surroundings for use in photosynthesis. When a gentle vacuum is
applied to the leaf disks in solution, this air is forced out and replaced with solution,
causing the leaves to sink.
2. How does the detergent aid in the sinking of the leaf disks? (3pts)
- Because the leaf repels the solution, the detergent breaks down the molecules on its
surface, allowing the bicarbonate solution to penetrate the cells. The leaf disk will be
able to absorb the solution this way.
3. Why don't the leaf disks soaking in water float (control)? (2pts)
- The leaf disks in the water do not float because cellular respiration occurs concurrently
with photosynthesis and consumes the oxygen that has accumulated, causing the plant
disks to sink. When the leaf disks in the baking soda solution are exposed to light, they
begin to float.
4. What does the baking soda solution serve? (3pts)
- Sodium bicarbonate is formed by mixing carbon, sodium, and hydrogen and oxygen
molecules. Sodium bicarbonates helps provides dissolved CO2. 
5. What is the significance of the light reaction? (3pts)
- The significance of the light reaction is that it is the process of photosynthesis in which it
can transfer energy from the sun into chemical energy in the formation of NADPH and
ATP.
6. Why do the leaf disks begin to float in the baking soda solution (treatment)? (2pts)
- When leaf disks in baking soda solution are exposed to light, they begin to float to the surface
of the solution. The disks go through a process known as photosyntheis
7. Why are the leaves sinking again in the dark? (2pts)
8. Why don't the leaves in the baking soda solution keep producing oxygen even when it's dark?
(2pts)
9. Why do we use the half-way point as a reference point rather than the point at which all of the
disks are floating? (2pts)
10. Why does oxygen production (and presumably glucose production) stop if the light-independent
reaction can run without light? (2pts)
11. What is photosynthesis? (2 pts)

VI.CONCLUSION: (2 pts)

VII. REFERENCES: (2 pts)

Photosynthetic Floatation. (2021). Retrieved 30 September 2021, from

https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/photosynthetic-floatation#:~:text=This
%20is%20because%20leaves%20have,causing%20the%20leaves%20to%20sink.

Photosynthesis Lab. (2021). Retrieved 30 September 2021, from

http://labsci.stanford.edu/images/Photosynthesis-T-.pdf
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