Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

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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Leave this to help the Experts:
The activity can be viewed at: Measure Photosynthesis with Floating Leaves

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