Egg Macromolecules

In this lab we looked a cell to determine which macro molecules are found in which parts of the cell. To do this we took an egg, and separated it into the yolk, white, and membrane. We then took each of these three components and used chemical identifiers to determine which macro molecules were  in which parts of the cell. We found that proteins are found in the egg white. This was shown, by when we added sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and copper sulfate (CuSO4), to the sample, and it turned a dark blue, which is an indicator that a protein is present. This makes sense, because egg whites are the food for the growing embryo, and cells need proteins to grow. The membrane contains lipids. We know this because, when we added Sudan III to the lipid it turned orange, which is a sign that a lipid is present. This data makes sense because all membranes are made of lipids. We also found lipids in the egg yoke.  We know this because, when we added Sudan III to the lipid it dark-ish orange, which is a sign that a lipid is present. This data makes sense because all membranes are made of lipids, and there is a clear membrane surrounding the egg yoke.

 One possible error in this lab was that when we tested the yoke for proteins, the sample turned green,which made it impossible to tell if it contained proteins. To remove this error I would mix the sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) better. Another error is that when testing the membrane we cut it into one chunk. This only exposes the outside of the membrane, but not the inside. This led to us not finding proteins in the membrane, even though there were proteins in the membrane. To fix this error, I would cut the membrane into more, smaller, pieces before testing it.

This lab was done to further our understanding of macromolecules, and how they the building blocks of life. This relates to macromolecules, and also what makes up the different parts of a cell. This lab can be applied to future leaning about cells, and will allow me to make inferences about which macromolecules make up which parts of the cell.