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Cesar Aguilar
IB Biology HL 1, Period 5
Mrs. Makkawi
30 September 2013
Organic Molecules Lab
Results:
Table #1: Protein Test
Substance
Positive/Negative
Distilled Water
Cooking Oil
Apple Juice
Gelatin Solution
Potato Solution
Positive/Negative
Distilled Water
Cooking Oil
Apple Juice
Gelatin Solution
Potato Solution
Aguilar 2
Table #3: Complex Carbohydrate Test
Substance
Positive/Negative
Distilled Water
Potato Solution
Substance
Positive/ Negative
Distilled Water
Cooking Oil
Apple Juice
Gelatin Solution
Potato Solution
Milk
Yogurt
Oatmeal
Cooking Oil
Apple Juice
Gelatin Solution
Aguilar 3
explains why it tested somewhat positive for simple carbohydrates. The other substances
contained no sugars, thus they tested negative for simple carbohydrates.
The only substance that contained complex carbohydrates was the potato solution. The
potato solution tested positive due to the fact that complex carbohydrates are found in most
vegetables, and potatoes are one of them. In addition potatoes are classified as complex
carbohydrates because they provide they are slow-digesting, meaning they provide the body with
long term energy, implying they contain complex carbohydrates. The other substances tested
negative for complex carbohydrates because they either contain simple carbohydrates like apple
juice or no carbohydrates, and because they provide only instantaneous energy implying they
dont contain complex carbohydrates. The fact that only the potato solution contained complex
carbohydrates would also mean that the potato solution is the only substance that contained
starch, since starch is a complex carbohydrate.
The substances that tested positive for the lipids test were cooking oil, the potato solution,
milk, yogurt, and oatmeal. The other substances, distilled water, apple juice, and the gelatin
solution contained no lipids. The substances that tested negative for lipids did so because they
dont have any ingredients which will contain any lipids; the distilled water is nothing but pure
water, apple juice is made from mostly apples which dont contain any fat, and the gelatin
solution is composed of bone and skin which are made of proteins and not fat. Cooking oil is oil
making it a lipid, and a characteristic of a lipid is that all lipids are hydrophobic and cooking oil
is hydrophobic thus proving furthermore that it contains lipids. Although potatoes are mostly
starchy, they do contain some lipids, which explains why the potato solution tested positive for
lipids. Milk and yogurt contain milk fat which is primarily triglycerides, which are composed of
fatty acids, meaning they contain lipids. Oatmeal is composed of oats which contain lipids, thus
oatmeal contains lipids.
The distilled water tested negative in all the areas, this was expected as it is distilled
water meaning water in its purest form, thus contains no other ingredients. People with diabetes
can avoid eating foods rich in carbohydrates by avoiding eat foods that are high in sugars and
high in starches or starchiness, because these are the foods that are high in carbohydrates.
Evaluation:
The reliability of our results are questionable, since there were a few errors we made
which resulted in cross contamination. While performing the experiment, we had gotten all the
substances in their own beaker; however we did not use a graduated cylinder and pipette for each
of the substances. Although we did thoroughly clean the graduated cylinder and pipette, some of
the substances, particularly the cooking oil, remained in the graduated cylinder and pipette thus
contaminating other substances, which resulted in cross contamination and could lead to
inaccurate data and results.
Aguilar 4
If we were to perform the experiment once more, we would improve our set up of the
experiment. Each of the substances will have its own test tube, beaker, graduated cylinder, and
pipette. This way we will be able to prevent cross contamination and obtain more accurate
results.