ORGANIC cHEMISTRY - IV

Experiment 3

Aim of the Experiment

Extraction of DNA from banana .

Materials required:

peeled ripe banana, ½ tsp clear liquid dishwashing soap , 1 tsp table salt , resealable zip top bag(quartz size), isopropyl alcohol, coffee filter or gauze, narrow glass .

Procedure

• Mash a small piece of banana in a cell lysis solution in a quart size resealable bag.

• Strain the solution through coffee filter or gauze over a cup.

• Discard filter/gauze and its contents in the trash.

• Transfer the liquid from cup(about an ounce) to a narrow glass.

• Tilt the glass and slowly pour the alcohol down the side of the cup until there is a layer that is about one inch thick. You want to keep the alcohol and the liquefied banana as separate as possible, so complete this step slowly.

• Watch the DNA separate as white strands between the lower cell debris from the banana and the upper clear alcohol layer.

Recipe for cell lysis solution

Mix ½ cup warm water with one tsp of salt and ½ tsp of clear dish soap prior to adding to the resalable bag containing the banana piece. Try to avoid making bubbles