The Effect of Temperature on Membrane
Practical 2.1- The Effect of Temperature on Membranes
Objective
To investigate the effect of temperature on membrane structure
Introduction
Beetroot Pigments
Beetroots contain Betalains which are the red pigments present in the cell vacuole. Betalains are soluble in water and they contain nitrogen. Betalains extracted from beetroot is commonly used as food dye because it is not known to cause any allergic reactions.
Beetroot
Picture taken from http://tipdeck/how-to-cook-beet-root
Structure of Betalain
Picture taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Betanin.png
Cell Membrane
Cell membrane is the barrier that separates the inner environment of the cell from the outer environment. The membrane is selectively permeable. The cell membrane is made up of mainly lipids, carbohydrates and proteins. The lipids are the phospholipid bilayer which consists of a hydrophilic polar head and a hydrophobic tail. Among the proteins present in the cell membranes are integral proteins and peripheral proteins.
Lipids increase in fluidity as temperature increases. Once denatured, proteins start to unravel and are unable to carry out their function. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from high concentration to a low concentration down a concentration gradient. Facilitated diffusion and active transport requires assistance from proteins imbedded in the cell membrane to transport substances in and out of the cell. Any damage to the cell membrane will cause the cytoplasm to leak out of the cell. Energy for the movement of molecules comes from the kinetic energy of molecules.
Structure of Cell Membrane
Picture taken from http://www.ncnr.nist.gov/programs/reflect/rp/biology/cell_membrane.html
Spectrophotometer
There are two kinds of spectrophotometer which are the single beam and the double beam spectrophotometer. The single beam measures relative light intensity of a previous sample whereas the double beam compares light intensity between two light paths.
Objective
To investigate the effect of temperature on membrane structure
Introduction
Beetroot Pigments
Beetroots contain Betalains which are the red pigments present in the cell vacuole. Betalains are soluble in water and they contain nitrogen. Betalains extracted from beetroot is commonly used as food dye because it is not known to cause any allergic reactions.
Beetroot
Picture taken from http://tipdeck/how-to-cook-beet-root
Structure of Betalain
Picture taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Betanin.png
Cell Membrane
Cell membrane is the barrier that separates the inner environment of the cell from the outer environment. The membrane is selectively permeable. The cell membrane is made up of mainly lipids, carbohydrates and proteins. The lipids are the phospholipid bilayer which consists of a hydrophilic polar head and a hydrophobic tail. Among the proteins present in the cell membranes are integral proteins and peripheral proteins.
Lipids increase in fluidity as temperature increases. Once denatured, proteins start to unravel and are unable to carry out their function. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from high concentration to a low concentration down a concentration gradient. Facilitated diffusion and active transport requires assistance from proteins imbedded in the cell membrane to transport substances in and out of the cell. Any damage to the cell membrane will cause the cytoplasm to leak out of the cell. Energy for the movement of molecules comes from the kinetic energy of molecules.
Structure of Cell Membrane
Picture taken from http://www.ncnr.nist.gov/programs/reflect/rp/biology/cell_membrane.html
Spectrophotometer
There are two kinds of spectrophotometer which are the single beam and the double beam spectrophotometer. The single beam measures relative light intensity of a previous sample whereas the double beam compares light intensity between two light paths.