Extraction of Spinach Lab
Title of Experiment
Extraction of Spinach
Date that the Experiment was Performed
This experiment was performed on Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 at 2:45 pm in the St Ignatius Science Center Laboratory 323.
Partners Names
Taylor Jackson and Matt D’Angelo. Taylor, Matt, and I shared the same data.
Purpose/Goals/Objectives
The purpose of this experiment was for each student to use column chromatography to separate plant pigments from spinach leaves. Some goals and objectives were to observe the effect of the increasing polar eluent fractions, to analyze the different fractions collected, and to correlate the structure of the components with polarity and behavior on a chromatographic column.
Background
The best method for separating mixtures in organic chemistry is chromatography. Chromatography is the separated of a mixture of two or more different compounds by distribution between two phases, one of which is stationary and the other is moving. Another component that is used is chlorophyll, which is the green pigment responsible for the color of leaves. Its presence in leaves is necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis can be defined as the process by which plants use light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds. The photosynthetic process involves the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is used to synthesize carbohydrates, and results in the release of O2. The energy to drive the chemical reactions of photosynthesis comes from the sunlight absorbed by the chlorophyll molecules. Hence, the first step in photosynthesis is the absorption of visible light from the sun by chlorophyll molecules. The chlorophyll molecules then transfer the light energy to chloroplasts, the reaction center of photosynthesis. In this way light energy is converted to chemical energy for converting CO2 into carbohydrates.
Procedure
Preparing the lab supplement:
First, canned spinach supplied by the organic chemistry laboratory in room
Extraction of Spinach
Date that the Experiment was Performed
This experiment was performed on Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 at 2:45 pm in the St Ignatius Science Center Laboratory 323.
Partners Names
Taylor Jackson and Matt D’Angelo. Taylor, Matt, and I shared the same data.
Purpose/Goals/Objectives
The purpose of this experiment was for each student to use column chromatography to separate plant pigments from spinach leaves. Some goals and objectives were to observe the effect of the increasing polar eluent fractions, to analyze the different fractions collected, and to correlate the structure of the components with polarity and behavior on a chromatographic column.
Background
The best method for separating mixtures in organic chemistry is chromatography. Chromatography is the separated of a mixture of two or more different compounds by distribution between two phases, one of which is stationary and the other is moving. Another component that is used is chlorophyll, which is the green pigment responsible for the color of leaves. Its presence in leaves is necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis can be defined as the process by which plants use light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds. The photosynthetic process involves the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is used to synthesize carbohydrates, and results in the release of O2. The energy to drive the chemical reactions of photosynthesis comes from the sunlight absorbed by the chlorophyll molecules. Hence, the first step in photosynthesis is the absorption of visible light from the sun by chlorophyll molecules. The chlorophyll molecules then transfer the light energy to chloroplasts, the reaction center of photosynthesis. In this way light energy is converted to chemical energy for converting CO2 into carbohydrates.
Procedure
Preparing the lab supplement:
First, canned spinach supplied by the organic chemistry laboratory in room
References: 1) Organic Chemistry Laboratory Manual, Ann B. Padias, Hayden McNeihl 2) Making the Connections: A How-To Guide for Organic Chemistry Lab Techniques, Anne B. Padias, Hayden McNeil. 3) A lab hand out given to every student in class on how to prepare a spinach supplement. (Attachment A) Attachments 1) Attachment A: Lab hand out on how to prepare the spinach supplement, and the observations. 2) Attachment B: Post lab questions