My Proposal

APPENDIX D

Science Investigative Project

Project Proposal Form

Name:

Nicole Du               (  8  )

Sec 2/13

Topic of investigation:

Effect of the environment’s pH level on the pigments in vegetables.

A	Observations made
	I know from prior knowledge that vegetables have pigments which give them different colours, some of the most common being chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin and anthoxanthin. I am keen on finding out how exactly acids and alkalis will affect these pigments. Will the colour of the vegetables change? How will it change? Do the pigments from the vegetables leach into the surrounding liquid? The pigments of the vegetables or contained within the plant cells. If pigments do leach, this indicates that a certain degree of damage has been done to the plant cell membranes since they are partially permeable membranes that do not usually allow pigments to pass through.
B	Research Question
	How does the environment’s pH level affect the pigments in vegetables?
C	Hypothesis statement
	There will be a greater change in pigments, as well as a greater amount leached from the vegetables with an increasing degree of the environment’s acidity/alkalinity.
D	A short summary of research done on the area of investigation
	Using hydrochloric acid to create the acid range of pH 2 to 6 (mixed in a lab) Sodium hydroxide for the alkaline range of pH 8 to 12 (mixed in a lab) Distilled water for neutral pH of 7 Vegetables tested: Chlorophyll à Spinach and green pepper Carotene à Carrot Anthocyanin à Purple cabbage and radish Immerse slices of the vegetables into different pH conditions for 3 hours, note changes in vegetable every 1 hour Apparatus needed à gloves, measuring cylinder, beakers, stopwatch, small knife, spinach, green pepper, carrot, purple cabbage, radish, hydrochloric acid (pH 2 to 6) and sodium hydroxide (pH 8 to 12)
E	Bibliography
	Michigan State University. (2001). Vegetable cookery. Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~lentnerd/NewFiles/veggies.html