Name: ________________________________________ Group No: ___________

Section: ___________________________Date of Submission: _______________

Laboratory Worksheet No. 1

“Crude Extraction Technique for DNA”

DNA was first isolated from pus cells by Fredrich Miescher in 1869 (Dahm, 2008). Found
in every living cell of the body, DNA has since been proven to be responsible for the transmission
of hereditary information. Today, much is known about its chemical composition, the
complementary pairing of its nitrogen bases, and its semiconservative manner of replication.
DNA is the blueprint of heredity. It is the storage Facility for genetic information, keeping
record of clues about our genetic history, it transmits heredity information from cell to cell and
from one generation to the next.

I. Objectives
Extract the DNA from given samples.
State the significance of DNA in living organisms.

II. Materials
A. Human DNA
- 4 small drinking plastic cups
- Table salt
- 1 test tube with cap
- 25 mL liquid dish soap
- Food coloring (any color)
- glass acrylic rod
- 500 mL 95% alcohol (chilled overnight, and
make sure it is still covered in ice until the
actual time of experiment)
- tap water
- 4 plastic spoons

B. Banana DNA
- Ripe banana - Filter paper
- 1 zip-lock freezer bag - Table salt
- 100 mL distilled water - liquid detergent
- Ice bucket filled with ice (to maintain the coldness of alcohol)
- 1 sealed test tube containing ice cold alcohol
- Food Coloring
- Water bath

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III. Procedures
A. Extraction of Human DNA
1. Before the laboratory session, place a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the freezer and
allow it to chill for at least one hour.
2. Prepare four plastic cups and label them as follows:
Cup 1: Salt Solution Cup 3: spit
Cup 2: Soap water Cup 4: Spit-soap mixture
3. In Cup 1, dissolve one spoonful of salt in half cup of water
4. In Cup 2, mix thoroughly one table spoon of liquid dish soap and three tablespoons
of water.
5. Take one tablespoonful of salt solution from Cup 1, gargle in your mouth for 30
seconds, and spit into Cup 3, The spit will contain buccal cells normally sloughed off
from the inner linings of your cheek.
6. Measure one tablespoon of spit from Cup 3 and put in Cup 4. Dispose the remaining
spit in Cup 3.
7. Take three tablespoons of soap water from Cup 2 and pour into Cup 4. Mix the spit
and soap by gently swirling the cup for approximately 1 minute. The liquid soap will
break open the membranes of the buccal cells and release their DNA in the solution.
Do not shake, vigorously as this will break up the long DNA strands into tiny
fragments, through a process called shearing.
8. Add three tablespoons of chilled alcohol to the spit-soap mixture in Cup 4. Gently
pour the alcohol down the inner side of the glass so it floats on top of the spit and
soap without mixing.
9. Half-fill a test tube with 95% alcohol.
10. Wait for 1 minute or until a cloudy layer appears at the interface between the spit-
soap mixture below and the alcohol layer on top.
11. Insert the glass rod into the cup until it gets in contact with the cloudy layer. Twirl
gently in one direction to wind the DNA strands onto the rod. If shearing occurred,
the cloudy layer will form clumps, which you can simply scrape out with the glass
rod.
12. Transfer the DNA wrapped around the rod by shaking or scraping it into a test tube
containing 95% alcohol. Put a cap to seal the tube. Your DNA will remain solid in this
solution.
13. Add drops of food coloring to see the DNA strands more clearly.

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 B. Extraction of Banana DNA
1. Cut the peeled BANANA into small pieces and place in the zip-lock bag. Label the
bag and make sure that it is sealed.
2. Mash the banana by pressing the bag with your hands.
3. Add 100mL of water to the mashed banana and continue mashing until it is
completely liquified.
4. To the solution, add 1 g of salt and 10 mL of liquid detergent. Mix slowly to avoid
foaming.
5. When the mixture is thoroughly mixed and liquified, place the bag in 600C water
bath for 10 minutes.
6. Wash and dry the breaker then place filter paper about ¼ into it. Fold the edges
of the filter down around the outside lip of the beaker so that it will stay in place
when the beaker is set down.
7. After the hot bath is completed, carefully place the bag into the ice bath for five
minutes.
8. After the ice bath, slowly pour the banana solution on the filter paper and allow
it to filter into the beaker until you have approximately 2 cm of filtrate. This may
take several minutes.
9. Dispense 2 mL of solution into the test tubes containing the alcohol. Do not
shake.
10. Let the tubes sit for two minutes to three minutes without disturbing them.
Observe and record what you see.

IV. Results and Interpretation:

A. Extraction of Human DNA

Title: __________________________________________________________________

CUP 1 CUP 2 CUP 3 CUP 4

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

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 Figures Description:

a. Cup 1 :
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b. Cup 2 :
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c. Cup 3 :
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d. Cup 4 :
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Guide Questions:

1. What is the purpose of gargling the water in your mouth?

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2. Why did you add liquid dish soap into the spit?
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3. What is shearing?
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4. Did the procedure yield pure DNA sample? Why or why not?
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5. Do all cells contain DNA? Explain your answer

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6. What parts of the cell contain DNA?
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7. Name three important functions of DNA

1.___________________________________________________________________________________
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2.___________________________________________________________________________________
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3.___________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Extraction of Banana DNA

Hypothesis:
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Results and Interpretations:

Figure 1. ______________________________________________________________________
Short Description of Figure 1:

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A testimony of faith
A heart to serve
Guide Questions:

1. Explain the purpose of the following steps:

a. mashing the banana

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b. adding the liquid detergent

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c. adding the water

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d. adding the salt

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2. When washing dishes, what works better, warm or cold water? Which do you think will help the
detergent break open the cell: warm or cold temperature?
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3. What is the purpose of putting your solution in test tubes containing alcohol?
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4. Use observation terms to describe what you see in the test tube and describe what the spooled DNA
looks like
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5. After DNA is extracted, what experimental procedures will follow? Make a schematic diagram for
procedures for biotechnology.
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A mark of excellence
A testimony of faith
A heart to serve
VI. Conclusion:

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______________

VII. Photo Documentation:

Note: Observe proper caption for each photo

A mark of excellence
A testimony of faith
A heart to serve