Lab 2e variation in the structure and properties of carbohydrates
Purpose:
What are the differences in the structure of some common carbohydrates?
What are the differences in the texture and taste of different carbohydrates?
How does their structure affect their characteristics?
What are the differences in the structure of some common carbohydrates?
What are the differences in the texture and taste of different carbohydrates?
How does their structure affect their characteristics?
Materials:
Petri-dish
Plastic spoons
Paper cups
Tap water
Sugars: sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, lactose, starch, cellulose
Plastic spoons
Paper cups
Tap water
Sugars: sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, lactose, starch, cellulose
Procedure:
We had to research the structure and function of each molecule that we tested. the picture above have the molecular structure and formula for a particular sugar. The next part of the procedure was to test each one of the sugars to evaluate the level of sweetness they contain. For this part we poured a normal amount into a paper cup and used petri dishes and small spoons to properly taste the sugar. Below is a chart made to show the sugar, the level of sweetness, and the function of the sugar.
We had to research the structure and function of each molecule that we tested. the picture above have the molecular structure and formula for a particular sugar. The next part of the procedure was to test each one of the sugars to evaluate the level of sweetness they contain. For this part we poured a normal amount into a paper cup and used petri dishes and small spoons to properly taste the sugar. Below is a chart made to show the sugar, the level of sweetness, and the function of the sugar.
In conclusion to the experiment, we have concluded that the sweetness of a sugar is based on their molecular structure. For example a sugar with a higher complex molecular structure causes it to be broken down slower than sugars with less complex structure. The main point is, the higher the complexity of the molecular structure, the less sweet the sugar will be. As always, we cannot guarantee our results to be 100% accurate due to human error or other errors. People might have different taste buds and might have tasted the sugars differently. Another error could be that we would be tasting multiple sugars and we would be tasting without rinsing our mouths, this could lead to cross contamination of the sugars that could have effected the final results.
As Always, the lab was amazing and interesting to be tasting different sugars. I really had a great time with my group and hope to be working with them again. One factor in making these experiments fun is control. My group seems to lack some control and we would get off task and get distracted. A way to fix this in the future is to assign a leader that would be in control of all the group members staying focused to get the job done. Overall it was a fun lab to complete and look forward to more in my sophomore year.
Thank you STEM Marin!
As Always, the lab was amazing and interesting to be tasting different sugars. I really had a great time with my group and hope to be working with them again. One factor in making these experiments fun is control. My group seems to lack some control and we would get off task and get distracted. A way to fix this in the future is to assign a leader that would be in control of all the group members staying focused to get the job done. Overall it was a fun lab to complete and look forward to more in my sophomore year.
Thank you STEM Marin!