Im Trying to Breathe Here!

Spinach Leaf Investigation Guide

RE-CAP:
1. What were the bubbles from on the Elodea sprig after it
sat under the light for 15 minutes? Why do you think the
solution turned red again?

2. Do all plants produce this? Explain your answer.

3. Do plants do anything else to convert sunlight to energy that they can use? Explain your
thinking.

OBJECTIVES
In this experiment, you will
Use an O2 Gas Sensor to measure the amount of oxygen gas consumed or produced by a plant in
darkness and in light.
Use a CO2 Gas Sensor to measure the amount of carbon dioxide consumed or produced by a
plant in darkness and in light.
Use lines of best fit to explain/justify what you notice about phenomena happening during
photosynthesis.

MATERIALS
LabQuest
LabQuest App
Vernier O2 Gas Sensor
Vernier CO2 Gas Sensor

PROCEDURE

aluminum foil
fluorescent bulb lamp
spinach leaves
BioChamber 2000 or airtight container
with two sealed probe entrances

1. Wrap the entire airtight container with aluminum foil so that no light will reach the leaves
a. Wrap the outside of the airtight container with foil.
b. Separately cover the lid with foil, then create holes just big enough to insert the CO2 and O2
sensors.

2. Cover the bottom of the container with one layer of fresh turgid spinach leaves. Remove any
stems that could interfere with an even lining of the bottom.

3. If your CO2 Gas Sensor has a switch, set it to the Low (010,000 ppm) setting. Connect the CO2
Gas Sensor and the O2 Gas Sensor to LabQuest. Choose New from the File menu. If you have
older sensors that do not auto-ID, manually set-up the sensors.

4. On the Meter screen, tap Length. Change the data-collection length to 900 seconds.

5. Change the unit to ppt by choosing Change UnitsCO2 Gas Sensorppt from the Sensors
menu. Repeat the process to select ppt as the units for the O2 Gas Sensor.

6. Secure the lid on the chamber and insert the sensors into the holes.

7. Wait five minutes for the sensors to equilibrate, then start data collection.

8. Sketch copies of the CO2 and O2 vs. time graphs in the Graph section below and record at least
10 data points.

9. Use the labquest or Ti-nspire to find the line of best fit.

a. If using Labquest: Choose Curve Fit from the Analyze menu and select CO2 Gas. Select Linear
as the Fit Equation. The linear-regression statistics are displayed to the right of the graph for the
equation.
b. For TI-nspire, put data points in a spreadsheet, click menu, select statistics, select stat
calculations, select linear regression (#3)
10. Record line of best fit equations (refer to activity sheet)
11. Assemble the lamp so it is above the container. Important: Do not turn the lamp on until
instructed to do so.

12. Remove the aluminum foil from the respiration container and invert the container to
remove the leaves and accumulated CO2 gas.
13. Line the bottom of the container with fresh turgid spinach leaves.
14. Secure the lid on the container and insert the sensors into the holes.
15. Place the container under the bulb and turn on the lamp.
16. Repeat Steps 710 to collect and analyze data.
17. Clean and dry the respiration chamber.