Name: ________________ Date: ___________ Period: ____________

DNA Extraction From Bananas Lab

This lab is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-Anas
MATERIALS: or

1 zipping freezer bag 1 pair of scissors 1 100mL beaker 1 small funnel

1 medicine dropper 1 wooden skewer (break it in half and share with another group) 1 small coffee filter

cold isopropyl alcohol DNA extraction buffer 1 1.5 piece of banana

METHOD: By following these steps, you will have an easy way to break open the cells of bananas. Once the cells are broken open, the DNA can be separated from the rest of the cell components. NEW WORDS: buffer: a solution that is used to moderate the pH of something so that necessary processes can occur. volume: the amount of three dimensional space an object takes up precipitate: a solid substance separated from a liquid solution interface: the common boundary of two spaces (in this case, two liquids; see image on next page) PROCEDURE: 1. Put your piece of banana in the bag. Press the air out and seal the bag. Gently mash the banana with your fingers for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to break the bag! 2. Add 10mL of DNA extraction buffer to the bag. (This buffer is made from shampoo, table salt, and water.) Carefully press the air out and seal the bag again. 3. Mix the mashed banana into the extraction buffer for about 1 minute. Try not to get too many bubbles as you do this. 4. Place a funnel on top of a beaker and use the coffee filter to line the funnel. You may want to trim excess filter off if it is hanging out of the funnel too much. 5. Cut off a bottom corner of the bag and squeeze the banana pulp into the coffee filter lined funnel. Let the extract drain until you have collected 3-5mL (or about 1 cm high) of liquid. Remove the funnel and throw away the coffee filter and remaining banana pulp. 6. With the beaker sitting on the table, slowly and carefully drizzle cold isopropyl alcohol along the side of the tube until the volume of alcohol is about equal to the volume of banana extract. This should layer on top of the banana extract.

7. DNA will begin to precipitate at the interface between the banana extract and the alcohol. Dip the skewer into the beaker exactly at this interface. Slowly rotate the skewer, and DNA will attach to it. 8. When you have collected a blob of DNA on the end of the skewer, remove it and observe the DNA. Record your observations below. BEAKER 9. When you are finished, CLEAN UP! (Thank you!
(3 pt) OBSERVATIONS:

)
alcohol layer interface banana extract layer

(3 pt) COMMENTS:

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN FULL SENTENCES: 1.

(1 pt)

Describe at least one thing you learned that you didnt know before.

2.

(2 pt)

Did you enjoy this lab? Why or why not?

3.

(2 pt)

Why was mashing the banana necessary?

4.

(2 pt)

Why was filtering the banana extract necessary?

5.

Where could errors be made in this lab that could possibly change the results? Explain what and how.
(1 pt)