SAINT COLUMBAN COLLEGE

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

PAGADIAN CITY

GENERAL BIOLOGY 2
FINAL PERFORMANCE TASK

I- Laboratory Activity: DNA Extraction Date Performed:______________

Name of Student/s:

Materials:
Water Wooden stick (barbeque stick) 1pc
Small Plastic Cup (2pcs) Methylene Blue Stain (acquire at the
lab)
Test Tube (acquire at the lab)
Medicine Dropper (acquire at the lab)
Dishwashing Soap
Beaker 150mL/250Ml (acquire at the
10mL of 0.9% Salt Solution
lab)
10mL isopropyl alcohol

Preparation before the Laboratory Activity

1. Store 10mL of isopropyl alcohol in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before the
experiment.
2. Make a 0.9% salt solution by mixing 2 grams/mL of table salt dissolved in 1 liter
of water. Use digital weighing scale for the salt. The whole 1 liter solution can be
used by the whole class.

On the day of the Laboratory Activity

1. Request the following materials at the biology laboratory.

a. Test Tube 2pcs
b. Test Tube Rack 1pc
c. Methylene Blue Stain
d. Medicine Dropper 1pc
2. Gargle 10mL of 0.9% salt solution of 30 seconds.
3. (Make sure to take pictures throughout the activity as part of your documentation)
4. Spit out the salt solution into a small cup.
5. Prepare the soap solution by filling one third of the test tube with water and by
adding 3-5 drops of dishwashing soap. Mix thoroughly by moving/shaking the test
tube.
 6. Pour the gargled salt solution into the test tube containing the dishwashing
solution.
7. Mix the salt solution and soap solution gently by moving/shaking the test tube.
Wait for 3 minutes.
8. Prepare the chilled alcohol solution by adding at least three drops of methylene
blue stain to the beaker containing the chilled alcohol.
9. Slightly tilt the test tube and gently pour the chilled alcohol solution on the side of
the test tube. The alcohol and the dishwashing solution should form two distinct
layers with the alcohol on top. Let the test tube stand for 1-2 minutes.
10. Use the wooden stick to spool the gooey blue material suspended between the
layers. The gooey material contains your DNA strands clumped together.
Carefully twirl the wooden stick to spool the DNA strands around it.
11. In case you were not able to come up with the desired outcome, do the experiment
again and skip adding methylene blue stain to the chilled alcohol in a beaker. The
experiment will produce the same results, except that the extracted DNA strands
won’t look color blue.

II- Guide Questions

Use a separate sheet of paper to answer these questions.

1. Illustrate and describe your extracted DNA.

2. What was the function of the salt, dishwashing liquid, and alcohol in the
experiment?
3. What were the difficulties that you encountered in the activity? Narrate these
difficulties and the things that you did to overcome them.
4. What part of the experiment seemed easy?
5. Attach picture of your documentation together with this activity sheet and your
answers. Make sure the pictures are clear.

III- DOCUMENTATION
*Attach here some pictures taken during your experiment. Members must be
visible in the pictures.