Name: G Herrera J Chemistry 162 Lab 3: Thin Layer Chromatography of Plant Pigments - Report Template Results Section (10pts)

Organize the data from your lab notebook into neatly typed data tables with proper sig figs. Figure 1: TLC Trial One Insert figure here containing: picture of your developed TLC plate, label the colors Rf values, and identities of spots

Created by Dr Nick Buker on 1/15/13

Table 1: Experimental Values for Chromatography Insert table here containing: colors, distances travelled, Rf values, identities of spots Trial One Values Distance Traveled (mm) Rf Trial Two Values Distance Traveled (mm) Rf Yellow (Xanthophylls) 5 .156 Yellow (Xanthophylls) 6 .176 Green (Chlor. B) 12 .375 Green (Chlor. B) Grey (Pheophytin) 18 .5625 Grey (Pheophytin) 19 .5588 Yellow (carotenes) 29 .9065 Yellow (carotenes) 32 .941

13 .382

Sample Calculations of Rf Values:

Created by Dr Nick Buker on 1/15/13

Discussion (15 pts): Answer the following questions please. Answer must fit within the textbox (size 12 Times New Roman font, single spaced, do not change the size of the text box) but single sentence answers will not suffice. State the answer to the question followed by a brief description of the evidence supporting that answer. I expect specific answers to the following questions. General statements such as the results would be inaccurate or inaccuracy was caused by human error are not specific enough. Show me that you understand the material. 1. Analyze the molecular structure of chlorophyll a and cholorphyll b below. Then, write a brief description of these two molecules. The large arrow is pointing at the part of the chlorophyll b molecule that differs from chlorophyll a molecule. Include a description of the difference between these two molecules as you describe the molecular structure of both. The two molecules have a similar structure except for one main difference. Chlorophyll B has an additional aldehyde structure appended to the end of the molecule. As for the rest of the molecule, they are both the same with a long hydrocarbon chain at the far end of the molecule and a magnesium ion in the center of a ring of nitrogen.

2. Count the number of conjugated double bonds in each chlorophyll molecule. Explain the difference in color for chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in terms of the number of double bonds in the 2 molecules. Chlorophyll A has 14 conjugated bonds, while B has 15. The extra bonds allow chlorophyll B to absorb a different wavelength of light (another color) than the A version. This is because the delta E associated with the greater number of conjugated bonds in B is lower which means that the compound will absorb a longer wavelength of light.

3.

Which chlorophyll molecule do you think has a larger E? Explain.

I believe chlorophyll A has greater delta E because Molecular Orbital Theory predicts that a lower delta E will result as the length of the conjugation increases (as is the case with chlorophyll B).

Created by Dr Nick Buker on 1/15/13

4. There are a number of differently colored molecules present in the algae. Explain what role these molecules might serve in photosynthesis. The different colored molecules in the algae might serve to broaden the wavelengths of light that the algae can absorb. Since each molecule absorbs a different wavelengths (as evidenced by their different colors), they can each be devoted to absorbing energy from different regions of the light spectrum. This would allow for greater efficiency in turning light into usable energy for the algae under all sorts of light conditions.

5. You may have noticed that many of the spots on the TLC faded upon exposure to air. Does the speed with which the spots faded suggest anything about their strength as antioxidants? The quick fading of the spots might suggest that those molecules are very strong (as antioxidants) since they are most likely reacting with free radicals in the air on short timescales. (relatively speaking)

Sources: Internal Energy, University of Wisconsin. http://chemed.chem.wisc.edu/chempaths/GenChem-Textbook/Internal-Energy-716.html Lab 3 Introduction and Procedure , N. Buker

Created by Dr Nick Buker on 1/15/13

Grading Rubric: 1. Clean presentation: 2. Sample calculations: 3. Calculations correct: 4. Correct significant figures: 5. Properly formatted tables and graphs: 6. Adequate grammar and punctuation: 7. Discussion answers correct 8. Discussion answers adequately detailed 9. Sources properly cited: etimes

Created by Dr Nick Buker on 1/15/13