Alternative to practical

Summarized notes

Dr. Omar Taha

Dr. Omar Taha

When drawing bar charts, all bars must be of the same

width
1. Drawings
Make sure you use a sharp pencil
4. Designing an Experiment
Your outline is clear
Find the variable which is to be changed (from the
The drawing should be as large as space provided.
question) and mention how you are going to change it
It has definite outlines (no 'sketchy’ lines)
List all variables that you have to keep constant
No shading,
throughout the experiment
No arrow heads when labelling
Mention how long your experiment will last.
Lines point exactly at the labelled part.
Say how you will measure experiments‘ results (change in
colour for example)
Write: 'repeat experiment to get more reliable results and
minimize error’
Set a control for your experiment

5. Enzyme Activity
2H2O2 (l) → H2O (l) + O2
This reaction can be catalyzed by an enzyme (catalase) or
by a non-biological catalyst (Manganese IV oxide)

Put 3 cm 2 of hydrogen peroxide in a test tube.

Add fresh potato strips and shake gently.
Keep your thumb on top of the test tube, or use a
stopper, to retain the gas.
Do the “glowing splint” test → the splint relights
Positive control:
repeat original experiment using manganese IV oxide
→ bubbles of O 2 form
Conclusion: Reaction happens because of a catalyst
2. Comparisons 1st negative control: repeat original experiment using
boiled potato strips → nothing happens
Make sure the points you use to compare diagrams are Conclusion: Enzymes denature when they are at high
visible in the diagrams temperatures
Use labels on the diagrams as your guide 2nd negative control: repeat original experiment using
You can compare numbers shape and proportional sizes. water instead of hydrogen peroxide → nothing happens
Don't compare sizes unless you're given a scale. Conclusion: hydrogen peroxide is the substrate
3rd negative control: repeat in a cold environment, the
effervescence should be slower
3. Drawing Graphs Conclusion: enzymes don’t work as well in the cold

Use a sharp pencil

Label both axes including the units
6. Chemical Tests
Choose an even scale for each axis that uses up as much
of the grid as possible. Starch: Add few drops of iodine, +ve result = blue-black
The independent variable is plotted on the x axis color
Dependent variable (i.e. the one that changes as a result Reducing sugars: Add Benedict’s reagent, then mixture is
in a change of the other) is plotted on the y axis. heated in water bath for 2 to 3 minutes.
Join your plotted points with ruled lines +ve result (increasing concentration of sugar) = blue
→ green → yellow → orange → red
-ve result = remains blue
Proteins: Add few drops of Biuret reagent, +ve result =
mauve color, -ve result = remains blue

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Dr. Omar Taha

Fats: Emulsion test; ethanol is added to mixture, and this Take two destarched potted plants.
is poured into a test tube with an equal amount of Cover both the plants with bell jars and label them as A
distilled water, +ve result = milky-white emulsion and B.
Inside A, keep NaHCO 3 (sodium bicarbonate). It produces

7. Factors of Photosynthesis CO 2.
Inside B, keep NaOH (Sodium hydroxide). It absorbs CO 2.
Keep both the set-ups in the sunlight for at least 6 hours.
7.1. Chlorophyll Is Necessary for Perform the starch test on both of the plants.
The leaves of Plant A will turn black after the starch test
Photosynthesis
The leaves of Plant B will remain orange/brown after
starch test
Take a potted plant with variegated (green and white)
leaves.
Destarch the plant by keeping it in complete darkness for
48hrs
Expose the plant to the sunlight for a few days.
Leaf boiled in water for 2 minutes to break down cell
walls,
denature enzymes and allow for easier penetration by
ethanol.
Warmed in ethanol until leaf is colourless to extract
chlorophyll,
which would mask observation
Dipped in water briefly: to soften leaf and then Leaf is
placed on a white tile and iodine is added. If starch is
7.4. Investigating what happens when
present, colour will be blue-black and if absent, it will
remain orange varying the factors affecting
photosynthesis
Light intensity: First a lamp is placed as close as possible
to the apparatus, then the experiment is repeated several
times, each times with the lamp further away from the
apparatus. Heat from the bulb is prevented by placing a
clear glass sheet between the lamp and the apparatus,
and the pond weed used is left for several minutes in
each new light intensity to allow it to adjust to new
7.2. Light Is Necessary for conditions before rate is measured.
Photosynthesis Carbon dioxide: vary the amount of hydrogen carbonate
in the solution, this supplies the plant with carbon dioxide
Destarch the plant by keeping it in darkness for 48hrs for photosynthesis
Place a stencil over part of a leaf Temperature: set up the apparatus in several different-
Place the leaf in sunlight for 4-6 hours temperature environments
Remove the stencil and test for starch
+ve result = parts which received light turn black
-ve result = parts which didn’t receive light remain
yellow/brown

7.3. Carbon Dioxide Is Necessary for

Photosynthesis

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Dr. Omar Taha

Demonstrating that respiration uses oxygen and

8. Investigating Transpiration produces CO2
An active yeast culture is placed in a test tube and
Use a sharp razor blade to cut a leafy shoot under water. connected to a second test tube containing
Insert the leafy shoot through the hole of the stopper hydrogencarbonate indicator which changes to purple in
provided with the potometer. alkine and yellow in acidic conditions
Fill the potometer with water and fit the stopper holding At the start of the experiment, the indicator is red
the leafy shoot to the apparatus. however, after 15 minutes, the indicator becomes yellow
Trap an air bubble in the capillary tube by the following (a lot of CO2 present)
procedures:
dip the end of the capillary tube into a beaker of
water,
close the tap of the reservoir,
take away beaker of water and allow the plant to
transpire
re-immerse the capillary tube into the beaker of water
again.
Estimate rate of transpiration by measuring distance
moved by the air bubble per unit time.

11. Good Procedures

Repeat readings to spot anomalous errors or to calculate
an average
Avoid making parallax errors, {the line of sight should be
perpendicular to the reading on the scale}
Look carefully at any scale that is used
Notice the unit in which the scale is calibrated - always
give the unit of any measurement
Notice the maximum reading that can be obtained
Notice the smallest change in value that can be obtained
Aim to use quantities that have magnitudes that are
towards the upper values of the scale
9. Investigating Insulation
12. Germination
B will germinate fastest because it has access to water,
oxygen and is at a warm temperature
A does not have access to water
C does not have access to oxygen
D has a very cold temperature even thought all other
factors are present

Flask A represents a hairless mammal, B represents a

mammal with dry fur and C represents a mammal with
wet fur
Equal amounts of hot water are added to the flask and
temperature change after a set period of time is
measured using a submerged thermometer.
Lowest temperature change means best insulated.

10. Respiration 13. Geotropism

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Dr. Omar Taha

Freshly germinate seedlings inside a glass jar, the seed is

held by a roll of moist clotting paper. 14. Phototropism
Seedlings are allowed to grow for a further five days, with
the jars placed a) the right way up b) upside down and c) There are three groups of oat shoots:
on its side. A) Has its tips removed, B) tips are covered and C) are
In each case the roots will turn to go downwards, and the untreated.
shoot turns to grow upwards, The coleoptiles are measured, and lengths recorded.
They are put in light proof boxes with one gap which only
allow light to enter laterally
They are measured 2-3 days later, and new lengths are
recorded.
Untreated coleoptiles will grow the most as they would
bend towards the light

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