Suggest one or two simple experiments to determine whether a solid white substance is a protein or a carbohydrate. what evidence would you need to support each hypothesis?
2006-10-04 11:29:35 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
dont say eat alot, what kind of experiment is that...... i need something that doesnt take more than a day
2006-10-04 11:37:49 · update #1
You'd have to do some kind of analytical tests. The carbohydrate could be starch, so you can dissolve a little bit of it in water and add iodine to it. If the brown iodine turns purple/black, then you have starch. If that doesn't do anything you could take another small bit and react it with Benedicts reagent. That solution of copper sulfate reacts with most simple sugars and the blue copper forms a reddish precipitate. If it hasn't reacted in either of those tests, you could take a little bit and react it with biuret reagent. Biuret reacts with proteins and turns from a blue to a lavender color, but there are other more sensitive tests for protein, too...
2006-10-04 11:46:56 · answer #1 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what he said about the carbs.
for protein try heating the substance, it'll denature in high heat
2006-10-04 15:46:37 · answer #2 · answered by TradeMark 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
eat a lot. if u get fat its a carb. if u get really muscular, its a protein. problem solved.
2006-10-04 11:32:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋