Experiments
• Iodine is a solution that is used to test the presence of starch in a material
• Iodine is golden brown in colour
• When iodine is added to starch,
the colour of iodine turns bluish black
• Destarched plant – plant which has used up all the stored
starch present in them.
EXPERIMENT TO SHOW THAT SUNLIGHT IS NECESSARY FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS
EXPERIMENT TO SHOW THAT CHLOROPHYLL IS NECESSARY FOR
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Question 1. What happens to the colour of the leaf? What is the colour of the
solution?
Answer. The green leaf becomes colourless. On immersing green leaf in a alcohol,
chlorophyll responsible for its green colour gets dissolves in alcohol. The colour of
the alcohol solution turns green
• Question 2. What can you conclude about the presence of starch in various areas of the
leaf?
Answer. The green areas of leaf, which turns dark blue on dipping in iodine solution, indicate the
presence of starch where as colorless part of leaf show no formation of starch. From this activity we
can conclude that chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis
• Question 1. Do both the leaves show the presence of the same amount of starch?
Answer. No, both the leaves do not show the presence of the same amount of starch, because in photosynthesis starch
is produced using sun light, chlorophyll and CO2. In first set up availability of CO2 will be less for making starch by the
plant leaves, as potassium hydroxide (KOH ) absorb the CO2. In second plant setup, the leaves will have more amount of
starch.
Question 2. What can you conclude from this activity?
Answer. From this activity, we can conclude that amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) , essentially affects the process and
outcome of photosynthesis
• Activity 6.3 | Page 99 | Chapter 6. Life Processes| CBSE Class X (10th) Science
▪ Take 1 mL starch solution (1%) in two test tubes (A and B).
▪ Add 1 mL saliva to test tube A and leave both test tubes undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.
▪ Now add a few drops of dilute iodine solution to the test tubes.
• Question 1. In which test tube do you observe a colour change?
Answer. We will observe a colour change in test tube B, showing presence of starch. Where as test tube A will show no
colour change as due to addition of saliva, starch is converted into sugar.
Question 2. What does this indicate about the presence or absence of starch in the two test tubes?
Answer. It indicates that test tube A does not contain starch where as test tube B does contain starch.
Question 3. What does this tell us about the action of saliva on starch?
Answer. It tells us that on addition of saliva in starch solution, the starch gets converted into some other product (here
maltose sugar )
.
Activity 6.4 | Page 101 | Chapter 6. Life Processes| CBSE Class 10 th
Science
•Take some freshly prepared lime water in a test tube.
•Blow air through this lime water
Question 1. Note how long it takes for the lime water to turn milky. ?
Answer. When we blow air through mouth, the lime water in test tube turns milky with in no time.
•Use a syringe or pichkari to pass air through some fresh lime water taken in another test tube (Fig.)
Question 2. Note how long it takes for this lime water to turn milky.
Answer. When we use syringe or pichkari, to pass air through the lime solution, it takes much time and effort to
turn the lime water milky.
Question 3. What does this tell us about the amount of carbon dioxide in the air that we breathe out ?
Answer. This indicates that the amount of carbon dioxide in the air that we breathe out is much more as
compared to normal air outside.
• Activity 6.5 | Page 101 | Chapter 6. Life Processes| CBSE Class 10th Science
▪ Take some fruit juice or sugar solution and add some yeast to this. Take this mixture in a test tube fitted with a one-holed
cork.
▪ Fit the cork with a bent glass tube. Dip the free end of the glass tube into a test tube containing freshly prepared lime
water.
• Question 1. What change is observed in the lime water and how long does it take for this change to occur?
Answer. The lime water becomes milky as carbon dioxide is produced by mixing yeast in sugar along with alcohol. Time
taken for this change to occur, should be observed by students themselves.
Question 2. What does this tell us about the products of fermentation?
[Link] products of fermentation are alcohol and carbon dioxide.