Hi! I'm very excited to try this activity. I was wondering what is the role of the dish soap? Thanks!
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The activity can be viewed at: Measure Photosynthesis with Floating Leaves
Question about Measure Photosynthesis with Floating Leaves activity
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kariannecook13
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Re: Question about Measure Photosynthesis with Floating Leaves activity
Hello!
Thank you for your question!
Dish soap is used as a surfactant in this lab – a substance that reduces the surface tension of a liquid (in this case, the baking soda-water solution). The soap coats the molecules on the exterior of the leaf disks, to make the leaves less hydrophobic. This enables the leaves to take up the carbon dioxide derived from the baking soda to photosynthesize!
Hope this helps!
Anika
Thank you for your question!
Dish soap is used as a surfactant in this lab – a substance that reduces the surface tension of a liquid (in this case, the baking soda-water solution). The soap coats the molecules on the exterior of the leaf disks, to make the leaves less hydrophobic. This enables the leaves to take up the carbon dioxide derived from the baking soda to photosynthesize!
Hope this helps!
Anika