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2.3: Simple Carbohydrates- Benedict’s Test

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    133624
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    The monosaccharides and disaccharides are the simple carbohydrates. They are present in many of the foods we eat each day. We can test for the presence of simple carbohydrates such as glucose by using Benedict’s reagent. When simple carbohydrates are present, the Benedict’s reagent will change color from blue to orange-red when heated. We will be testing several substances for simple carbohydrates using this reagent.

    Benedict’s Reagent Negative Result Positive Result
    Blue Green (low) to Red (high)
    Table 2.3 Simple Carbs Hypotheses

    Tube #

    Substance

    Hypothesis

    1

    Water

     

    2

    Glucose

     

    3

    Onion

     

    4

    Potato

     

    5

    Whole Milk

     

    Materials:

    • 5 test tubes
    • Dropper bottle of Benedict’s reagent
    • 1 mL of water
    • 1 mL of 1% glucose solution
    • 1 mL of onion juice
    • 1 mL of potato juice
    • 1 mL of whole milk

    Procedure:

    1. Label each tube.
    2. Put 1 mL of the appropriate substance in each tube.
    3. Add 5-7 drops of Benedict’s reagent to each tube.
    4. Place all tubes in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
    5. Carefully remove tubes from the water bath and let cool.
    6. Record color observations of each tube.

    cautionsymbol.png Use caution when adding and removing tubes from the water bath. Use tongs to limit the risk of burns.

    Table 2.4 Simple Carbs Results

    Tube #

    Observation

    Hypothesis Supported? (Y/N)

    1

       

    2

       

    3

       

    4

       

    5

       

    Using what you learned from the scientific method lab, which tube(s) served as controls in this experiment?


    This page titled 2.3: Simple Carbohydrates- Benedict’s Test is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Karen Marks and Valeria Hochman Adler.

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