Beet Cells
The effect of temperature on beet cell membranes
Introduction: A cell membrane of a beet (Beta Vulgaris) is made up of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins and cholesterols. The membrane is responsible for organizing the cell, protecting it from the exterior environment, as well as responsible for regulating what goes in and out of the cell though it’s protein channels and “selectively permeable” bilayer. (Campbell, Reece, Taylor & Simon, 2006, p. 79-80) When this membrane is damaged the reddish color, betacyanin, of the beet leaks out into it’s surroundings. (Online lab #1, n.d.)
Based on previous experience I know that applying heat can act as a dilator and cold as a constrictor. If this fact should remain true for the membrane …show more content…
Once rinsed the samples were each placed into one of 6 numbered test tubes. Test tube 5 was put in the refrigerator to achieve 5C and 6 in the freezer to achieve -5C, and a 30 minutes timer was set. Next 60 ml of water was heated to 70C in a beaker. The sample from test tube 1 was deposited into the beaker and timed for one minute, after which it was removed and placed back in the tube 1. Three squirts from a small pipette of room temperature water were also put in the tube in order to cover the sample. Once the water was added a 20-minute timer was set. At that time the beaker of water was cooled and the process was repeated at 55C for test tube 2, 40C for test tube 3, and 25C for test tube 4 respectively. By this time the 30-minute timer for the cold samples was up, test tubes 5 and 6 were removed from their coolers and three squirts of room temperature water were added to the tube as was done in the other samples and a 20-mintue timer was set. At this time sample 1’s timer sounded, the beet sample was removed from the test tube, but the water was left in order to evaluate its intensity of color. The same was repeated with each of the samples as their timer …show more content…
That is to say that by not ensuring that every sample was handled in the same manor, not verifying that each sample was identical, and taking longer to test some samples could have effected the accuracy of the results. By using both the forceps and the dissecting needle, consistency was not kept when handling the samples, which could have caused accidental membrane damage in some samples, therefore altering the outcome. Also by the samples varying slightly in size the results could be altered because a different amount of cell membranes would have been exposed to the test. Finally the fact that some of the samples had to sit and possible dry out while the water cooled to the accurate temperature may have caused the outcome to be altered as well. All of these variables could have led to an inaccurate conclusion of the
Introduction: A cell membrane of a beet (Beta Vulgaris) is made up of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins and cholesterols. The membrane is responsible for organizing the cell, protecting it from the exterior environment, as well as responsible for regulating what goes in and out of the cell though it’s protein channels and “selectively permeable” bilayer. (Campbell, Reece, Taylor & Simon, 2006, p. 79-80) When this membrane is damaged the reddish color, betacyanin, of the beet leaks out into it’s surroundings. (Online lab #1, n.d.)
Based on previous experience I know that applying heat can act as a dilator and cold as a constrictor. If this fact should remain true for the membrane …show more content…
Once rinsed the samples were each placed into one of 6 numbered test tubes. Test tube 5 was put in the refrigerator to achieve 5C and 6 in the freezer to achieve -5C, and a 30 minutes timer was set. Next 60 ml of water was heated to 70C in a beaker. The sample from test tube 1 was deposited into the beaker and timed for one minute, after which it was removed and placed back in the tube 1. Three squirts from a small pipette of room temperature water were also put in the tube in order to cover the sample. Once the water was added a 20-minute timer was set. At that time the beaker of water was cooled and the process was repeated at 55C for test tube 2, 40C for test tube 3, and 25C for test tube 4 respectively. By this time the 30-minute timer for the cold samples was up, test tubes 5 and 6 were removed from their coolers and three squirts of room temperature water were added to the tube as was done in the other samples and a 20-mintue timer was set. At this time sample 1’s timer sounded, the beet sample was removed from the test tube, but the water was left in order to evaluate its intensity of color. The same was repeated with each of the samples as their timer …show more content…
That is to say that by not ensuring that every sample was handled in the same manor, not verifying that each sample was identical, and taking longer to test some samples could have effected the accuracy of the results. By using both the forceps and the dissecting needle, consistency was not kept when handling the samples, which could have caused accidental membrane damage in some samples, therefore altering the outcome. Also by the samples varying slightly in size the results could be altered because a different amount of cell membranes would have been exposed to the test. Finally the fact that some of the samples had to sit and possible dry out while the water cooled to the accurate temperature may have caused the outcome to be altered as well. All of these variables could have led to an inaccurate conclusion of the