biology science

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natchanon
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:01 am
Occupation: Student
Project Question: I want to know about cutin
Project Due Date: a month
Project Status: I am conducting my research

biology science

Post by natchanon »

how to distill cutin from leaf?
how to know that is cutin?
SciB
Expert
Posts: 2071
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:00 am
Occupation: Retired molecular biologist, university researcher and teacher
Project Question: I wish to join Scibuddies to be able to help students achieve the best science project possible and to understand the science behind it.
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: biology science

Post by SciB »

Hi,

If you would please give us some details about your project we might be able to help you. Why do you want to isolate cutin? What kind of leaves were you planning to use? What references are you using? The source of cutin and the type of experiment it is used in would determine the method of isolation.

From what i read (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_cuticle), cutin is a cross-linked organic polymer so i don't think it would be possible to distill it. Other experts, please weigh in here with your advice and suggestions!

The cuticle of a leaf contains waxes that would be soluble in organic solvents but these chemicals are all hazardous and would have to be used in a fume hood in a chemistry lab with supervision. By performing an organic extraction of the leaf cuticle you might be able to remove everything except the insoluble cutin polymer but to identify it would require some expensive equipment like a spectrofluorometer, mass spectrometer or nuclear magnetic resonance machine.

A university chemistry department would have all these tools and the expertise to use them, so if you live near a university you could contact someone there, explain your project and ask them to help you. I would do a little online reading first to see what kind of research is being done there so that you could try and find the professor who is most likely to be interested in cutin.

Post again with details of your proposed project and your background references and we will try and help you.

Good luck!

Sybee
natchanon
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:01 am
Occupation: Student
Project Question: I want to know about cutin
Project Due Date: a month
Project Status: I am conducting my research

Re: biology science

Post by natchanon »

thank you for helping. My project is Isolate cutin from leaf(I choose para rubber leaf beacuase it easy to find in my country) to slowly wither fruit (I choose chili)
SciB
Expert
Posts: 2071
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:00 am
Occupation: Retired molecular biologist, university researcher and teacher
Project Question: I wish to join Scibuddies to be able to help students achieve the best science project possible and to understand the science behind it.
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: biology science

Post by SciB »

You're welcome. But I still don't understand what you are doing? Can you explain? What do you mean by "to slowly wither fruit"?

We can't help you with a project if you don't tell us more about it.

Sybee
natchanon
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:01 am
Occupation: Student
Project Question: I want to know about cutin
Project Due Date: a month
Project Status: I am conducting my research

Re: biology science

Post by natchanon »

i found this website is show how to isolate cutin http://www.wiley-vch.de/books/biopoly/p ... 1_1_12.pdf but i don't understand. Please you explain for me
Thank you.
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