Science Projects > Life Science Projects > Test for Starch in Plants 

Test for Starch in Plants

Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants (primarily) convert energy from the sun’s light into usable, chemical energy. Plants require energy for growth, reproduction, and defense. Excess energy, created from photosynthesis, is stored in plant tissue as starch. Starch is a white and powdery substance. It houses glucose, which plants use for food. The presence of starch in a leaf is reliable evidence of photosynthesis. That’s because starch formation requires photosynthesis.

(Adult supervision required.)

Starch Testing Experiment

What You Need:

Test for starch in plants:

1. Place one of the plants in a dark room for 24 hours; place the other one on a sunny windowsill.

2. Wait 24 hours.

3. Fill the beaker or jar with ethyl alcohol.

4. Place the beaker or jar in a saucepan full of water.

5. Heat the pan until the ethyl alcohol begins to boil.

6. Remove from the heat.

7. Dip each of the leaves in the hot water for 60 seconds, using tweezers.

8. Drop the leaves in the beaker or jar of ethyl alcohol for two minutes (or until they turn almost white).

9. Set them each in a shallow dish.

10. Cover the leaves with some iodine solution and watch.

What Happened:

The hot water kills the leaf and the alcohol breaks down the chlorophyll, taking the green color out of the leaf. When you put iodine on the leaves, one of them will turn blue-black and the other will be a reddish-brown. Iodine is an indicator that turns blue-black in the presence of starch. The leaf that was in the light turns blue-black, which demonstrates that the leaf has been performing photosynthesis and producing starch.

Try the test again with a variegated leaf (one with both green and white) that has been in the sunlight. A leaf needs chlorophyll to perform photosynthesis — based on that information, where on the variegated leaf do you think you would find starch?


Buy Testing For Starch Experiment Kit

More Life Science Projects:


Chemistry

Welcome! Read other Chemistry articles or explore the rest of the Resource Center, which consists of hundreds of free science articles!

Shop for Chemistry Supplies!

Home Science tools offers a wide variety of Chemistry products and kits. Find affordable beakers, test tubes, chemicals, kits, and everything else you need for lab experiments.

Related Articles

Home Science Experiments for Preschoolers

Home Science Experiments for Preschoolers

Home Science Experiments for Preschoolers Home science experiments for preschoolers are a great way to pique your child’s curiosity, teach them valuable knowledge, and allow them to have some fun in the comfort of their own home. There are plenty of activities your...

Easy Science Fair Projects for Kids

Easy Science Fair Projects for Kids

Easy Science Fair Projects for Kids Science fairs are a long-standing tradition that provide kids with the opportunity to better understand practical concepts in fun and innovative ways. The great thing about the experiments presented at these events is that they...

How to Make a Pollinator Hotel

How to Make a Pollinator Hotel

Have you ever wondered how you can help provide habitat for pollinators like honey bees and butterflies in your back yard? Learn how to make a pollinator hotel with this step-by-step guide and lesson. Pollinators are animals that help move pollen. Most pollinators are...

Valentine’s Day Science Projects

Valentine’s Day Science Projects

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to inspire your student’s LOVE for science! Engage your kids with science concepts such as diffusion, density, and surfactants. These three, hands-on science projects include the Dancing Conversational Hearts, Rainbow Heart, and...

Your Complete Field Guide to Dissection

Your Complete Field Guide to Dissection

If you’re looking for a way to make biology fun and memorable for your student, look no further than dissection! This complete field guide to dissection will explain everything needed to make dissection labs an enjoyable learning experience for your kids.

should I learn computer coding