Protocols:
1. Collect leaf disks by punching holes in the leaf (try to get them between the veins)
2. Make a solution of sodium bicarbonate by mixing 300 ml of water to a teaspoon of baking soda (or 100 ml to 1g)
3. Make a diluted solution of liquid detergent ( 3 drops of soap to 70 ml of water).
4. Add on drop of this dilute soap solution to your bicarbonate solution - do not generate suds
5. Place 10 leaf disks into the syringe and pull in a small volume of the bicarbonate and soap solution. Replace the plunger and push out most of the air, but do not crush your leaves.
6. Create a vacuum by covering the tip of the syringe with your finger. Draw back on the plunger.
7. Release the vacuum so that the solution will enter the disks. It may take a few times to get the disks to sink.
8. Once they have sank, you can put them back into the sodium bicarbonate solution and expose the disks to light.
9. Place another set of disks into a control beaker that contains only water.
10. Record the number of disks floating at the end of each minute, swirl the disks to dislodge any that may get stuck to the beaker or to each other. The experiment should continue until all of the disks are floating.
*Troubleshooting - if you have difficulty getting your disks to sink, try adding more soap to the solution
Data Table:
1. Collect leaf disks by punching holes in the leaf (try to get them between the veins)
2. Make a solution of sodium bicarbonate by mixing 300 ml of water to a teaspoon of baking soda (or 100 ml to 1g)
3. Make a diluted solution of liquid detergent ( 3 drops of soap to 70 ml of water).
4. Add on drop of this dilute soap solution to your bicarbonate solution - do not generate suds
5. Place 10 leaf disks into the syringe and pull in a small volume of the bicarbonate and soap solution. Replace the plunger and push out most of the air, but do not crush your leaves.
6. Create a vacuum by covering the tip of the syringe with your finger. Draw back on the plunger.
7. Release the vacuum so that the solution will enter the disks. It may take a few times to get the disks to sink.
8. Once they have sank, you can put them back into the sodium bicarbonate solution and expose the disks to light.
9. Place another set of disks into a control beaker that contains only water.
10. Record the number of disks floating at the end of each minute, swirl the disks to dislodge any that may get stuck to the beaker or to each other. The experiment should continue until all of the disks are floating.
*Troubleshooting - if you have difficulty getting your disks to sink, try adding more soap to the solution
Data Table:
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