Unit 3 Reflection

This unit contained information explaining the cell theory, which is the belief that all things are composed of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and new cells are generated from existing cells. I also learned that prokaryotic cells have no nucleus, 1 chromosome, and circular DNA called plasmids. Eukaryotic cells have nucleus and long chains of DNA called chromosomes. 
I also learned that each macromolecule makes up a different part of the cell, serving a different purpose. For example: Carbohydrates make up call walls, help cells communicate , and they store energy. Proteins are catalytic building blocks that allow molecules in and out of the cell. Lipids make up plasma, and nucleotides hold information.
The Unit then explains osmosis which is the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane. Tonic is the ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water. Cells change in response to different environmental conditions because of the typically small molecules- Turgor pressure exists inside the cell when the cell swell.
Photosynthesis is the process in which plants produce glucose and oxygen using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Plants grow best under red and blue light, and worst under green and yellow light.
Cellular respiration of process of cells breaking down glucose and energy. Both of these processes rely on each other.
An essential theme was understanding exactly what part of the cell performs what function. The understanding of parts of the cell is essential in this unit to completely understand photosynthesis and cellular respiration. This topic was thoroughly explained.

One of my weaknesses was keeping track of which process produced what product(s). I eventually figured out that glycolysis is the process in which one molecule of glucose is broken in half, producing two molecules of pyruvic acid, a 3-carbon compound. The Krebs cycle breaks down pyruvic acid into carbon dioxide in a series of energy-extracting reactions. I want to learn more about the Krebs cycle.

Egg Diffusion Lab

In this lab we asked the question, "How and why does a cell's internal environment change, as it's external environment changes?" We tested how hypertonic and hypotonic solutions affect a raw egg. First, we soaked an egg in vinegar. Next, in the hypotonic solution, the egg grew in size. This happened because the water entered the egg, increasing its size.Then we soaked the egg in the hypertonic solution, fructose corn syrup, the egg shriveled and decreased in size. The egg got smaller because the water exited out of the membrane, causing the shrinkage.

Placing the egg in vinegar did not change the shape or size of the egg, it did however change it's texture and changed it into a balloon-like substance. The water increased the size of the egg, because the water went into it. When soaked in sugar, the egg shrank and shriveled into a deformed egg, which appeared to have dents in the surface.

The mass of the egg changed -47.15% when soaked in the sugar concentration. The circumference decreased -24.24%. The solvent of sugar created indentations into the egg.

The internal environment of the egg changed when it was soaked in vinegar. Vinegar in the external environment caused the egg to become almost balloon-like. Water caused the egg to increase in size, and sugar water caused the egg's size to decrease.

This lab demonstrates the principle that hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic solutions cause a solute to change from its original state.

I think that foods such as pickles are kept in a jar with vinegar in order to preserve them. This concept applies to many different foods and how they are preserved.

Based on this experiment, I would like to test the affects of vinegar on other foods.

Egg Cell Macromolecules Lab

In this lab we asked the question "Can macromolecules be identified in an egg cell?" We found that the egg membrane tested positive for protein. The egg membrane turned from blue to purple, signifying that the macromolecule was present. The quantitative amount of protein the egg membrane contained was at a level of 7. The egg membrane is naturally white, so we knew that the macromolecule, protein, was in it when the membrane turned purple. The egg membrane tested positive for having monosaccharides because the carbohydrates store energy there. This concept connects to the information learned in the Unit 4 Miniature Biology Vodcast. This data supports our claim because carbohydrates are sugars broken down by mitochondria to make ATP.

Our data contradicts the expected results because not enough drops of Sudan III were placed into the test tubes to accurately test for lipids. This affected the results because the lack of Sudan III caused the egg membrane to test negative for the lipids. An error that could have occurred would be not timing how long the test tubes sat in hot water for the monosaccharide test. This would affect results because the benedict's solution would not have enough time to change from its blue color. Due to these errors,  in future experiments I would recommend telling the students repetitively the number of drops needed in each of the tests.

This lab was done to demonstrate the different macromolecules that can be found in specific parts of a cell. From this lab I learned that an egg membrane contains, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, and protein. The egg yolk contains lipids, and the egg white is protein. This helps me understand the concept of macromolecules and their functions, such as how monosaccharides and polysaccharides are used as energy storage. Based on my experience from this lab, I can apply this information to our recent vodcast, "What does a Cell do?", and  connect the information about where macromolecules are located.

Unit 2 Reflection

This unit contained information about how the molecular complexity  serves as the building blocks for life by bonding together and being the base of everything. It was also about the different types of carbohydrates, such as monosaccharides, which are very sweet and consist of one ring, disaccharides, which are somewhat sweet and consist of two rings, and polysaccharides, which taste plain and starchy, containing three or more rings.









 I also learned about lipids, which are large molecules that include fats, phospholipids, oils, waxes, and cholesterol. Lipids are made up of long chains of carbon and hydrogen called fatty acids.







 Unit 2 also teaches about Enzymes and their structure of individual amino acids chained together, bonded by a peptide bond.
















An essential theme was understanding the structures of things such as carbohydrates, enzymes, and lipids. My strength was understanding the different types of carbohydrates.  I fully understood this topic Mr. Orre thoroughly explained it.











One of my weaknesses was understanding what exactly enzymes do. I did not fully understand the vodcast, "Messing with Enzymes," because I was absent the day it was explained in detail. I learned how to differentiate monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides from eachother. The information was a bit difficult to grasp, but in the end, I was able to understand more about these topics which made me feel like a better student. I want to learn more about Polysaccharides and find out why they taste so plain. 

The Sweetest Lab

     In this lab we asked the question, "How does the structure of a carbohydrate affect its taste?" I found that the monosaccharides were the sweetest, and the polysaccharides were the most bland. Fructose, which I ranked 180/200 on degree of sweetness, was the most sugary tasting carbohydrate. Its snow white grains tasted like extremely sweet sugar. While the white, chalky starch was a very tasteless and unpleasant polysaccharide to eat, having a sweetness degree of 0/200. As I learned from the "Miniature Biology" vodcast, monosaccharides are simple sugars consisting of one ring. Whereas Polysaccharides consist of 3 or more rings and taste starchy or plain. This data supports my claim that monosaccharides are the sweetest.
    Our data may contradict expected results because we sampled the polysaccharides first instead of the monosaccharides, which could have affected our taste buds. The polysaccharides are bland and could have lead us to think that the monosaccharides and disaccharides tasted sweeter than they usually do. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend clarifying that students should taste the monosaccharides first.

     This lab was done to demonstrate how the structure of a carbohydrate does in fact affect its taste. From this lab I learned that monosaccharides are sweeter than disaccharides and polysaccharides. This helps me understand the concept of the different structures of carbohydrates. Based on my experience from this lab, I can remember that a sweet carbohydrate, such as fructose, is a monosaccharide, and a bland carbohydrate like cellulose, is a polysaccharide.

Characteristics of Life Collage

Jean Lab Conclusion

In this lab we asked the question, "How does each concentration of bleach affect a 5x5 square of jeans?" We found that the bleach with the highest concentration whitened the jeans the most. We found that the 50% concentration bleach damaged and somewhat wore down the fabric. The 25% somewhat lightened the jeans, but did not damage the material. The 12.5% concentration of bleach barely lightened the fabric, and the water had no effect on the jeans. The highest concentration of bleach did the most damage to the jeans because it was the strongest and contained no water.
  While our hypothesis was supported by our data,  an error of letting the 50% soaked jeans sit in the water for longer than 2 minutes may have affected our results. This error could have caused the bleach to somewhat wash off of the jeans, giving inaccurate results. Another error was spilling bleach on the table. This did not affect our results, though Tyler and I did accidentally put our hands in the puddle of bleach several times. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend assigning one person to timing each jean square that is soaked in water. In future experiments students should me more cautious not to spill bleach, and to notify other group members if bleach is spilled.
  This lab was done to demonstrate the affects that different concentrations of bleach have on 15 5x5 squares of jeans. From this lab I learned how to carefully do a step-by-step lab, which helps me understand the concept of the Scientific Method. Based on my experience from this lab, I can apply this knowledge of how different concentrations of bleach affect jeans, to my personal life, if I ever decide to lighten my jeans without destroying them.