Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Essays

Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Essays Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Paper Photosynthesis Formal Lab Report Paper This captured energy is used to convert carbon dioxide into complex energy-rich molecules that can be used by themselves or other organisms. Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar and other organic molecules. (Russell, Wolfe, Hertz, Starr, 2010). Photosynthesis can be categorized into two main processes: light-dependent reactions and light-independent reactions. For the purpose of this lab, light- dependent reactions will be investigated. The reactants involved in photosynthesis include carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to produce glucose, oxygen, and water. The light reactions involve the capture and use of light energy by pigment molecules to synthesize NADIA and AT P. Plants use this light energy to produce glucose from carbon dioxide. The glucose is stored mainly in the form of starch granules, in the chloroplasts of cells. Glucose in the form of starch is non-polar and is not soluble in water, allowing it to be stored much more compactly. The chloroplast is formed from an outer membrane, an inner membrane, and an intermediate compartment. The aqueous environment within the inner membrane is called the stoma. Within the stoma is the ayatollahs, which are flattened, closed sacs. It is in these sacs that the specific molecules required to carry out the light reactions of photosynthesis are contained, including the pigments, electron transfer carriers, and the TAP syntheses enzymes for TAP production. A pigment is able to absorb photons of light and differ by the wavelengths of light they can absorb. The amount of energy in a photon is inversely related to its wavelength. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and consists of photons that have higher energy than the longer wavelength red light. When photons of light hit an object, they can be reflected off the object, transmitted through the object or absorbed by the object. The absorption of light by a pigment results in electrons becoming excited and moving to a higher energy state. Color is determined by the wavelengths that it cannot absorb, therefore chlorophyll is green since it does not absorb green light. If a pigment absorbs all wavelengths of visible light, the object appears black. A large variety of pigments can be found in plants. The most common are chlorophyll a and b and carotids, located in he chloroplasts of cells, and anticyclones, located in the cell vacuoles and do not contribute to photosynthesis. Each of these pigments has different properties and performs different functions for the plant, including absorbing light in different parts of the spectrum. The more light absorbed equals the more energy available for a plant. The pigment molecules that can be found in plants are specifically arranged in and around photometers that are embedded in the ethylated membranes of chloroplasts. Each contains a reaction centre surrounded by an antenna complex. Light from the sun travels into the holocaust and goes through the antenna pigment. The energy trapped by the antenna complex is funneled to the reaction centre, called IPPP, where it is used to oxidize a chlorophyll molecule and donate an electron to a primary acceptor molecule to continue into carbon fixation to ultimately release glucose sugar (Oracle Thinkers, 2010). The reaction centers are named after the wavelength (in manometers) of their red-peak absorption maximum. Most plant parts, especially leaves, contain some combination of the three main pigments, even if only one is especially obvious. It is possible to separate these segments from each other using a technique called paper chromatography. In this process, plant tissue extract is applied to a piece of chromatography paper. A solvent is allowed to travel up the paper, and if the pigment is soluble in the solvent, it will be carried along with it. (Benny, 2009) Different pigments have different affinities for the solvents or polarity and will travel at different rates. Chlorophyll, anticyclones, and carotids are typically non-polar. For lab 12, it is hypothesized that chlorophyll a and b are present in a plant leaf and contribute to the starch production in photosynthesis. Also, products of photosynthesis will be present in leaf tissue exposed to red and blue light wavelengths for sever al days, but a decreased presence in leaf tissue exposed to green and black light wavelengths. In lab 13, it is expected that since chlorophyll a and b are more polar and smaller molecules than the anticyclones and carotids, they will travel higher up the chromatography paper than the other pigments. Materials and Methods Lab 12 In the first part of this laboratory experiment, a multi-colored leaf was removed from a Coleus plant that was in direct sunlight for several hours. The hypothesized results for which pigments were present and the results of an kill starch test were then recorded. A boiling alcohol bath was set up, which consisted of a IL beaker containing mall of water on a hot plate, and a mall beaker containing mall of 80% ethyl alcohol inserted into the larger water beaker. The water was brought to a slow boil and the leaf was placed into the boiling alcohol solution in order to extract the pigments. When the leaf became almost white, the leaf was removed, placed into a Petri dish, and covered with distilled water. KAKI solution was added to the distilled water until a pale amber lour was obtained. The leaf produced a purple-black color in some areas which show a positive test for starch. In the second part of the lab, part of a leaf was taken from a germanium plant that had been covered for several days with different color filters: blue, green, red, and black. In order to differentiate between the leaves taken from different filters, the black filter leaf had one notch taken from leaf, the green had 2 notches, the red had 3 notches, and the blue had 4 notches. The leaves were then place into the alcohol bath that was used in the first experiment. When the leaves became mostly white, they were removed using forceps, placed into a Petri dish, and rinsed and covered with distilled water. Kill was added to the distilled water until an amber color was achieved. The observation of the reaction of the leaves with the kill after 5 minutes was then recorded. See appendix for original lab report. Lab 13 In this laboratory experiment, pieces of spinach leaves were mashed in a mortar and pestle in order to extract the plants pigments. These pigments were transferred to a piece of chromatography paper with a marked pencil line CM room the bottom by means of a capillary tube. The chlorophyll pigment was allowed to dry and was re-applied 5 times, drying between each application. The chromatography paper rolled and stapled and was placed into a jar containing a petroleum ether and acetone solvent. The chromatography was allowed to proceed until the solvent reached about CM from the top. The paper was removed and examined for separations of pigments. See appendix for original lab report. The control for the overall experiment was the original leaf taken from the Coleus plant in lab 12, both before and after the 121

Ivan the Terrible essays

Ivan the Terrible essays I, Ivan IV, was the first of two children born to Basil III, who had been attempting for many years without success to have a son. Basil, my father, divorced his first wife, Solomonia Saburova (which he had picked, by royal custom, personally out of thousands of virgins) due to her disability of not being able to bear his child. My father then quickly remarried a princess of royal Mongolian culture on January 21, 1526. This woman was Elena Glinskaya who became my mother. I was born on the evening of August 25, 1530. Two years after in 1532, my deaf-mute brother, Fyodor, was born. The following year, when I was only three, my father died due to a small little pimple on his leg that turned into a deadly sore. While he was dying, my father requested that I become the ruler of Russia when I reached the age of fifteen. However, his request was denied by the Russia aristocracy and they prevented my becoming their ruler. Instead, my mother Elena successfully ruled Russia for four years until she was killed. During this time, I was ignored and isolated from everyone except my nurse Agrafena. After my mother died, Agrafena was taken from me. My loneliness continued and the boyars ruling Russia would abuse me or not pay me any attention. The boyars would only pay attention to me when my presence was needed at a ceremony, otherwise they would ignore or abuse me. As the rivalry in the Palace for the power of Russia escalated into a bloody feud, I witnessed horrible things. I watched and heard murders, beatings and took verbal and physical abuse regularly. Because I was unable to hit my boyars, I would take my frustration out on animals. I imagined the animals being the men who tortured me. On December 29, 1543, I called the boyars to a meeting. I condemned them for ignoring me and my nation. Later I punished them for this by sending a group of huntsmen to seize Prince Andrew Shuiksy. Then in front of a group ...

Work, Labor, and Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Work, Labor, and Play - Essay Example The essay focuses on global issues and talks about people’s attitude and behavior in their jobs. This discussion will investigate Auden’s definition of work and labor, differences between labor and work, the relationship that play has between labor and work, and the results of technology and current division of labor with respect to play, labor and work. Discussion Summary of the Article Arendt’s Classification of Labor and Work Auden investigates Arendt’s categorization of work, play and labor in his article. Arendt linked the labor concept to processes of biology, death and life and to surviving organisms following the lifecycle whereby the animal produces consumer products and non-durable products required to maintain human life. According to Arendt, laboring activities are continuous (without an end) as long as man is alive. Work, on the other hand, is what people do – what is produced by human hands and effort from their environment. It is the use of objects to produce durable goods (Arendt 51). Work, play and labor are vital activities of humanity, and play and work give human beings freedom for human necessities. Labor is a mere turmoil which primary purpose is immediate life need satisfaction. Differences between Work and Labor Auden discusses how work is exciting and amusing, and labor is unexciting. ... In other words, one is forced to perform the task because of the benefit necessary to earn a living and support his family (Auden and Kirsch 24). A person cannot attain self-worth, freedom and excitement as a laborer because a necessity force always compels him to perform a certain task which he does not take pleasure in doing. Similarly, Auden suggests that work is more pleasurable to a person who loves his tasks and assignment, and the society does not compel him to perform the task. It is a person who performs his task even if it is outside his specialization. According to Auden, to be categorized as workers or laborers depends on the preference of the person undertaking the task, not the task itself. The Relationship among Play, Work and Labor Play is crucial to the laborer’s challenges. In his article â€Å"Labor, Work and Play,† Auden argues that when people participate in a game (play), they enjoy what they are doing. Otherwise, people should not play, although i t is a personal matter whether people play or not. Leisure determines the character of a person. For instance, workers take some time off to refresh and increase efficiency and productivity. A laborer sees leisure and time off as an opportunity to free him from slavery. Similarly, a laborer attempts to take available time, where a worker thinks that time is a hassle. Additionally, workers take advantage of any little time off and leisure time. Results of Technology and Current Divisions of Labor Auden argues that technology can be extremely crucial and can be the most detrimental accomplishment to the soul of a man. This is because, in the end, technology and current division of labor will turn the future world into laborers (Auden and

The effects of child abandonment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The effects of child abandonment - Essay Example Child abandonment is a situation where a parent agrees to have no role in his childs life. This doesn’t only involve the failure to support a child from financial point of view but from emotional side as well. It is quite obvious that a child needs both of this parents to grow with self-confidence and self-esteem and that’s why abandonment leaves a child with so many questions. These questions create an extremely bad impact on the life of a child and sometimes it becomes difficult for him to get rid of the resonance of his excruciating memories of the past even in the old age. Divorce is getting quite common in todays world but if divorce results in abandoning parent, it can have huge impact on a child. Many children start to think that they are left alone. That’s true for children between the ages of 3-7. In this situation a child starts taking him as a reason for divorce and separation. This can further aggravate the situation and can prove to be obliterating for mental and emotional growth of a child. It is also relevant to mention that a child starts to think that if his parents can leave one another then one of them can leave him as well. That proves to be a real shock to the system and a child becomes more introverted. The problem is that children don’t become able to understand that different dynamics are associated with spousal relationship as compared to child-parent relationship. Now it is clear that there are certain effects of abandonment and a child has to face those implications for most part of his life. But, the question is that whether or not something can be done to save a child from having a bleak future. That’s the statement of purpose for this particular research paper and the answer will be found by exploring the comments made in previous researches and other sources. The effects of abandonment are multifold. But, the purpose of this research

Pros and cons of caffeinne Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pros and cons of caffeinne - Essay Example Research has shown that caffeine improves memory and decreases fatigue while improving mental and athletic performance (Doheny, 2006). Caffeine increases athletic stamina by enhancing glycogen, the body’s energy storage system, and mobilizes fat cells which allow the body to burn fuel more efficiently thus promoting endurance. Caffeine diminishes perceived effort while exercising. This has the psychological effect of increasing the degree of effort during exercise which burns additional calories (Gruenemay, 2006). This chemical action also suppresses appetite which leads to weight loss. Morning coffee drinkers know that caffeine increases alertness. It does this by stimulating brain activity. Caffeine is an addictive drug causing a dependence which leads to withdraw symptoms when discontinued (Doheny, 2006). Though caffeine increases energy, the dehydration that accompanies makes exercise especially unhealthy. Caffeine, a natural diuretic, relieves constipation by encouraging the intestine to contract which causes diarrhea and cramping. When over-used, all stimulants including caffeine can cause  insomnia, irritability and ‘the shakes.’ The weight loss associated with stimulants is offset by cream added to coffee or tea. Caffeine has been shown to initiate heart palpitations and should be strictly avoided if the user is at risk of heart disease or if the user is taking any prescription drug (Gruenemay, 2006).   Moderate amounts of caffeine will not cause heart disease, cancer or birth defects according to evidence compiled by the American Dietetic Association. Moderation is the key to enjoying products that contain caffeine without suffering ill effects but the operative word is moderation (â€Å"The Pros and Cons of Caffeine†,

The term white Essay Example for Free

The term white Essay What is our reaction or impression when we read or hear the term white? Quite often, it is simply colour that instantly comes to our minds. Furthermore, many of us are unaware of the various interpretations involving the word. This is not surprising! Lets start with white clothing and its purposes, symbolic, or factual, commonly used in religions as well as in hospitals. The pope, an obvious Roman Catholic, wears white robes to portray his distinctive figure, being the highest authority at the Vatican. Similarly, some nuns wear white habits to reveal their puritanical appearance, and, not surprisingly, a bride of the same faith traditionally wears a white wedding dress to demonstrate her virginal aspect. Looking at a different religion, it is very interesting to learn about the custom in Islamic countries, where the dead are buried naked, wrapped in a white cloth. Their belief is that it symbolizes purity and is a necessary religious practice for the dead to get to heaven. When it comes to facts, we also understand the necessity of white garments used in private or public hospitals, and most clinics. Here, there are compulsory regulations where all medical staff must wear white uniforms, ranging from caps to overcoats and suits. It is the intention of the hospitals to help their patients and outsiders, distinguish the doctors, physicians, nurses and other medical assistants. We go on to fascinating white creations, being those of nature. For example, clouds, snow, sleet, ice, fog and mist are all naturally white as a result of atmospheric temperatures. Even the moon, stars and lightning flashes are white, however, at night! Moreover, another example is that of bones, such as humans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, as well as the milk produced by humans and animals. Likewise, even the sap produced by some trees, is white. Other interpretations of white are present in grammatical expressions. It is also used to reveal a persons image, emotions or feelings. An example would be, He became white with shock. Very often, white used before a noun denotes the whiteness in colour, of that subject. However, it is also possible that words used immediately after the term can have nothing to do with the colour itself and can have completely different or contradictory meanings, such as: A white admiral, a kind of butterfly from Eurasia; A white ant, another name for a termite that is black in colour! As we approach the final subject, think about white and associate it with food. The result of our imagination could be rice, sugar, salt or flour. However, did we bear in mind at the same instant, that these foods were initially not white, but became so after a thorough process or refinement? In opposition to the previous question, it is amazing how some flesh foods not naturally white in raw state, turn white in appearance, as a result of cooking. Such classified foods are fish, chicken, turkey and duck. Consequently, what do we contemplate about white eggshells? We reason their naturally white colour but we definitely do not think of eating them! Nevertheless, the albumin, a part of its edible contents, also turns white in colour when cooked. An advantageous food compared to those previously mentioned is the cauliflower, a beneficial vegetable that remains white in colour and edible, both in raw and cooked state. After looking at all these examples, we now realize how vastly the term can be interpreted, whether used religiously, symbolically, factually, as a natural creation, in general vocabulary or food. Perhaps the next time we are asked a question about a colour, our immediate thoughts or assumptions will be somewhat different, than just the ordinary colour itself!

The Difference Between Truth And Belief

The Difference Between Truth And Belief The word truth can have a variety of meanings, from honesty and faith to a verified fact in particular.[1] The term has no single definition about which a majority of professional philosophers and scholars agree, and various theories of truth continue to be debated. There are differing claims on the roles that revealed and acquired knowledge play; and whether truth is subjective, objective, or absolute. Though truth is generally believed to be both subjective and objective, belief is assumed to be objective which means it differs from person to person. For example, I believe that the sky is blue entails that I think that this proposition is true. The ways by which we acquire knowledge, can be differentiated into four broad categories, sense perception, language, emotion and reasoning. The four ways of knowing help us to identify and differentiate between subjective and objective truths. It is generally assumed language gives us access to subjective truths while reason gives us access to objective truths. For example, the various mathematical proofs, theories and formulae that are in use today are in practice because of they have been proved by reason and are considered as objective mathematical truths. However, some theories and formulas are axiomatic truths. Axiomatic truths are self evident truths or basic facts which are accepted without any proof. On the contrary, perception and emotion are believed to result in subjective truths. From past experiences, I have generalized that objects left out in the rain get wet. Through reasoning I apply this understanding to tonights rainfall, and conclude that my own bicycle will get wet if it is left out in the backyard. Reason can help us to identify both subjective and objective truths. For example, reason can help to distinguish between objective mathematical truths and subjective artistic truths. Thus, from the above examples it can be seen that the various ways of knowing , alone can help to identify truths. But, the ways of knowing may also work together to give us the truth. For example, in science the way of knowing of reason and sense perception may work collaboratively to give us the objective truths. Some examples are objects falling on the ground with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s2. However, if reason helps us to identify and distinguish between objective mathematical truths such as the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 and subjective artistic truths such as Beethovens 9th symphony is his best, it does not mean that reason is superior to the other ways of knowing because each of the ways of knowing has its own limitations and may not necessarily g ive us the absolute truth. The way of classical inductive reasoning can lead to false claims. Consider this example, I saw a duck and it was black. I saw a second duck and it was black. I saw a third duck and it was black. I saw an Nth duck and it was black. A general statement becomes the conclusion All ducks must be black. After tens of thousands of instances of black ducks in Africa, Asia and North America I go to the UK and see a white duck, right in the middle of a lake. One false instance is enough to topple over the general conclusion I had painstakingly reached. In the wake of the development in sciences and the extensive use of reason in daily life, a question is raised Is reason the most superior way of knowing?. Reason has give rise to many scientific explanations and theories such as the formulae of mathematics and the laws of physics. In the AOK of science, the various laws of gravity in physics have been defined after reason and research. For example, if I observe that the gravity is always same when I undertake an experiment, by inductive reasoning I will assume that this will always be the case if I measure gravity on any X place in the world. The general statement becomes the conclusion The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. But, if I were to conduct the same experiment at the North or the South pole I would find that the value of gravity is more than what I had found before, as the earth is elliptical and the poles are closer to the earths core. Also, the value of gravity would be quite different if I were to conduct the same experiment at the equatorial regions .Thus, as we can see, the reasoned assumption can sometimes lead to a paradigm shift i.e. true in specific environments so not a universal truth. Even if the experiment is conducted hundreds of times, there is always a possibility that an exception will be found and the theory would be falsified like in the case of the white duck. Thus, it is suggested that a hypothetical deductive method should be used, which is a continual interplay between deductive and inductive reasoning, mediated by testing done in the real world, whereby false hypotheses are discarded through trial and disproof. However, there is a possibility that somebody may stumble upon a case that falsifies the conclusion. The other knowledge issue raised is How far do our cultural beliefs distort our attempts to distinguish between subjective and objective theories?. For example, a recent case in India, where cultural beliefs are followed on a large extent, the idols of Lord Ganesha in temples all over the country were believed to be drinking milk from the offerings by visitors and followers. Thus, the subjective truth of all the followers was that the idol of Lord Ganesha was drinking milk. However, scientists conducted various experiments on the idols thereafter and came out with an objective explanation whereby the subjective truth of the followers was falsified. The rationalists and the scientists proved that the result was because of the surface tension and the absorption capabilities of the materials of which the idols were made .Thus, the cultural belief in India that the offerings by devotees are consumed by the god , gave rise to the subjective truth and distorted the objective truth. Also , another knowledge issue which is raised is How to do we get from our subjective beliefs to our objective truths ? . Darwins theory of evolution was based on his observations and is believed to be true especially by most of todays scientists. Darwins subjective belief in evolutionary theory was transformed into an objective truth. He proposed that all of the millions of species of organisms present today, including humans, evolved slowly over billions of years, from a common ancestor by way of natural selection  [1]  . However, certain counter-claims make us believe that the theory of evolution is false. According to the theory of natural selection birds could never evolve to fly  [2]  while this is certainly not the case. Though subjective beliefs can be and have been transformed into objective truths by repeated experimentation, it is possible that a single counter-claim could forge the conclusion and prove the theory to be wrong. The distinction between subjective and objective truths also raises the knowledge issue Is emotion an effective way of distinguishing between subjective and objective truths ? . For example, in Ethics we may use reason effectively to distinguish between the reasons why we should switch off a life-support machine on a family member and why we shouldnt, but reason may not take into account the emotional pressures we feel in the moment of flicking the switch, or emotion may even over-rule reason to some extent. The ongoing debate between subjective and objective truths also raises the knowledge issue Are there any absolutely certain objective truths independent of what we believe to be true? . This knowledge issue takes into account absolute truths. An absolute truth, sometimes called a universal truth, is an unalterable and permanent fact  [3]  . Many religions contain absolute truths. For example, a Christian might believe Lord Jesus to be his savior. To the Christian this may be an absolute truth. While many may agree that the Christian believes absolutely that Jesus is his Lord, they are unlikely to agree that Jesus is everyones Lord is an absolute truth. Centuries of missionary work is evidence of the human sense of infallibility in this area and is shown by the movie the mission in which a Spanish jesuist travels to the south American wilderness in the hope of converting the Indians into Christians . When a persons absolute truth is extended to all other people, it can be viewed as a philosophical statement of exclusion. Those who do not endorse the absolute truth of another are either pitied or attacked  [4]  and results in war and oppression. The method of the natural sciences involves perception as part of the collection of data to prove or disprove theories about the natural world for example , the development of the big bang theory by Edwin Hubble was based on his investigation of mysterious masses of stars called Nebulae. However, the problem is that a scientists observations may be limited by the instruments they use to make their observations. However, several of these theories are considered as absolute truths today inspite of what we believe. Again, Historians might provide primary sources to represent the absolute objective truth of the horrors of Stalins reign of terror, but the problem is this: how do we know that those sources havent been tampered with if Stalins regime was capable of doctoring evidence during his rule, isnt this even more rife in an age where everyone has access to Photoshop?