ZIMSEC NOV 2024 COMBINED
SCIENCE PRACTICAL EXAM TIPS
COMPILED BY EVE
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OBJECTIVES
Providing final exam tips for
1. Osmosis practical
2. Comparing fuel efficiency of paraffin and
methylated spirit
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introduction
• you will see 2 questions tomorrow in your
practical exam
• first question will be from biology section
testing you on osmosis
• second question will be from chemistry
section, testing you on comparing fuel
efficiency of methylated spirit and paraffin
• we will cover these practical today and also
look for food test practical for you to be on
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Practical 1 ;Osmosis
INTRODUCTION
• Osmosis is the movement of water along its concentration
gradient - from high to low concentration - via a semi-
permeable membrane
• Involved in this process are hypotonic, hypertonic and
isotonic solutions.
• A hypotonic solution is a solution that has lower solute
concentration than the cell, indicating that the net
movement of water moves into the cell
• a hypertonic solution is one with a higher solute
concentration than the cell, thus the net movement of
water will be leaving the cell into solution
• Lastly, an isotonic solution entails no net movement of
water across a semi-permeable membrane as the two
substances have equal concentration.
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• experiment title : investigating effect of salt
solution on plant leaves
• aim : to investigate how salt solution affects
turgidity of plant leaves compared to distilled
water
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materials
• 5cm green couch grass leaf
• 5cm green onion leaf
• 50 ml salt solution
• 50ml distilled water
• 100ml beaker
• 50 ml measuring cylinder
• stopwatch or timer
• Scalpel or razor blade
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preparation
• prepare the salt solution by dissolving 10-20g
of sodium chloride in 50 ml of distilled water
• cut the couch grass and onion leaves to 5cm
length
• rinse the leaves gently with distilled water
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experiment set up
• fill the 100ml beaker with 50ml of salt solution
• place a 5cm couch grass leaf and a 5cm onion
leaf in the salt solution
• fill another 100ml beaker with 50ml of
distilled water
• place another set of 5cm couch grass and
onion leaves in the distilled water
• record initial observations
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measurement and observations
• measure and record the initial length of each
leaf
• observe and record changes in the leaf
appearance, turgidity and color every 10 to 15
minutes for 30 minutes
• measure and record the final length of each
leaf
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data collection
time in minutes couch grass leaf onion leaf in couch grass leaf onion leaf in
in distilled distilled water in salt solution salt solution
water, (turgidity, (turgidity, (turgidity,
(turgidity, colour & colour & colour &
colour & length) length) length)
length)
initial
after 10
minutes
after 20
minutes
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expected results
• leaves in salt solution will show signs of
plasmolysis, decreased turgidity and
discoloration
• leaves in distilled water will remain
healthy,mantain turgidity and retain green
colour
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conclusion
• experiment demonstrates the effect of salt
solution on plant leaves, highlighting the
importance of water and ion balance for plant
growth and survival
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leaves in distilled water
• Description - Turgid
• turgidity refers to the rigidity and firmness of plant cells
due to water pressure. when cells are turgid they
mantain their shape and support plant’s structure
• length - The increase in length of the leaves strip in
water is due to the movement of water molecules into
the plant cells via osmosis. Water molecules in the
beakers are at a higher concentration than water
molecules in the cytoplasm of cells and so move
along their concentration gradient into the cells.
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factors affecting turgidity
• [Link] availability
• 2. solute concentration
• 3. temperature
• 4. light intensity
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leaves in Salt Solution
• Description - Flaccid, plasmolysed
• plants leaves shrink and lose their rigidity
• length - the decrease in the length of the leaves is
due to the movement of water molecules outside
of the plant cells. Water molecules in the
cytoplasm are at a higher concentration than in
the salt solution in the beaker and so move along
their concentration gradient out of the cells.
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shrivel of a leaf
• leaf shriveling occurs when cells lose turgidity
due to
• 1. transpiration
• 2. plasmolysis
• 3. low humidity
• 4. high temperatures
• 5. disease or paste damage
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errors
• inaccurate measurement of salt solution or
water
• incorrect preparation of salt solution
• human error in observation or recording
• contaminationof equipment
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ways to correct errors
• prepare salt solution accurately
• choose healthy uniform leaves
• keep equipment clean and sterile
• analyse data carefully
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2. Comparing fuel efficiency of paraffin
and methylated spirit
• AIM : Comparing fuel efficiency between 2
fuels that is methylated spirit and paraffin
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introduction
• fuel is a material that can be burnt to give out
heat energy or have chemical energy
• fuels are found in 3 forms that is
• solid fuels eg wood, charcoal, coke and coal
• liquid fuels eg petrol, diesel, paraffin and
ethanol/ methylated spirit
• gaseous fuels eg methane, ethane, hydrogen
and coal gas
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• solid fuels are cheap, readily available and
easy to store. they have low heating efficiency,
can cause environmental degradation and
high carbon emissions
• liquid fuels are less available, need to be
stored in closed containers, have higher
energy efficiency than solid fuels, release
carbon emmissions
• gaseous fuels have high heating efficiency, and
have risky incredibility flammable and leaks
can go undetected
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• thermal efficiency is the measure of heat
content of fuel
• fuels are organic hydrocarbons
• fuel contain stored energy that is released
when they burn in presence of oxygen to
produce heat energy
• efficiency of a fuel can be measured by the
rate at which fuel heats up a substance to
certain temperature
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combustion notes
• when fuel burns in plentiful oxygen supply it
produces carbon dioxide and water
• this is complete combustion
• more energy is produced by complete
combustion
• incomplete combustion results in carbon
monoxide being produced
• CO is poisnous gas if inhaled
• unburned carbon or soot cause air pollution
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precautions
• wear safety shoes, gloves, googles, lab coats,
face musks
• methylated spirit is highly flammable hence
cause an outbreak of fire
• handle glass apparatus with care
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practical tips
• when measuring the volume of liquids, put
the beaker on level surface so as to have
accurate volume
• before taking the temperature gently stir the
liquids so that an even distribution of
temperature can be recorded
• ensure your thermometer is not touching
surface area of beaker as this may result in
recording of temperature of the beaker
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Materials
• 2 burners- used to burn each fuel in a controlled
environment
• Wooden block - to raise the height of burner
• tripod Stand - to support the beaker
• Paraffin - fuel
• Methylated spirit - fuel
• Thermometer - to measure the temperature change during
combustion
• Water- water absorbs heat energy released during
combustion, allowing for temperature measurements
• Wire gauze- it support fuel source,contain the flame and
prevent it from getting too high
• Measuring cylinder - to measure volume of water and fuel
• digital scale - to measure weight
• stop watch - measures time taken for each fuel to burn a
certain amount
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draught shield
• draught shield is used to
• create a controlled environment for the
combustion process
• ensure accurate measurements of heat energy
released
• minimize external influences that could affect
the results
• improve overall safety of the experment
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Method
• Measure 100ml of water and put it in beaker
• Measure and record the initial temperature of
water using thermometer
• Fill 2 spirit burners one with the methylated
spirit and the other with paraffin
• Weigh the spirit lamps containing methylated
spirit and the other with paraffin
• Place the lamp under the beaker and light it to
heat the water
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method
• Stir the water constantly and extinguish the
flame after 10 minutes when water has
increased by 20℃
• Measure and record the temperature of water
that is final temperature
• Reweigh the lamp to find out how much fuel
has been burnt
• Repeat experiment using paraffin
• Record your results
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Observation
• Different fuels burn with different colours
• Paraffin burn with yellow flame also producing soot
• Methylated spirit burn with blue flame not producing soot
• Paraffin with a higher carbon content than methylated
spirit has higher thermal efficiency
• Less paraffin in terms of weight is required to raise the
temperature of water by 20℃
• More methylated spirit is required to raise the temperature
of water by 20℃
• Paraffin produced smoke and soot that made it a less ideal
fuel to use than methylated spirit
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Heat loss factors contributing to
inefficiency of experiment
• Incomplete combustion
• Heat loss to the surrounding through
conduction, radiation and convection
• Heat loss due to the equipment used which
will not be well insulated
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Conclusion
• Paraffin has more energy per gram than ethanol.
this is because paraffin have more carbon content
which is evident because
• It produces smoke and soot due to incomplete
combustion
• Paraffin is difficult to burn completely in air
• Different fuels have different energy content
• the more the carbon content the fuel contains the
higher the heating efficiency
• Table below shows the energy content of various
fuels
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data collection
Methylated spirit Paraffin
Initial mass of fuel + container in grams 120 123
Final mass of fuel + container 112 116
Mass of fuel burnt 8 7
B
Initial temperature of water 28℃ 28℃
Final temperature of water 34℃ 36℃
Temperature change 6 8
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Sources of error in this experiment
• Inaccurate measuring instruments
• Variation in experimental condition under which
the experiment is carried out
• Inaccuracy in taking measurements, when
measuring volume using measuring
cylinder,reading temperature on thermometer, and
reading time on stopwatch
• parallax error- (wrong positioning of an eye when
measuring volume or taking readings from
thermometer
• zero error or reaction error incured on stop watch
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ways to improve experiment
• arrange apparatus in closed section to avoid
heat loss by wind
• use wind breaks or drought shields to block
wind
• repeating the process to have accurate results
• increase height of stand towards the burner
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variables
• time
• temperature
• volume
• when recording temperature , round to 1
decimal place and volume to 2 decimal places
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possible questions to expect
• 1. which fuel was least efficient
• 2. how did you come to that conclusion
• 3. suggest some ways in which you could
improve accuracy of results
• 4. energy is released when hydrocarbons are
burned.
• (I) what is the name of the process that takes
place when hydrocarbon burns in air
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• (b) what substance in air reacts with
hydrocarbon when it burns
• c. what is meant by fuel efficiency
• 4. which form of fuel is the most efficient,
explain why
• 5. suggest some advantages of using ethanol
or paraffin as fuel
• 6. discuss heat loss factors that contribute to
the inefficiency of the experiment
• [Link] experimental error in this experiment
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• 8. what is the reason for stirring water
• 9. suggest precaution that should be
undertaken in this experiment
• 10. state 2 disadvantages of using paraffin as
compared to using methylated spirit
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other practicals
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Food test
• Testing for starch
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Materials for food test
• Test sample, (potatoes or onions)
• Iodine solution
• Test tubes
• Test tube stand
• Water bath
• dropper
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Procedures of iodine test
• You will need to stick to procedures in your
question paper
• Take 2 test tubes labelled 1 and 2
• Add 1-2 grams of solid or 1-2 ml of liquid sample
to test tube 1
• Add 1-2 ml of distilled water
• Add 2 to 3 drops of iodine
• Observe colour changes that develops in both
test tubes
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Observations
• If blue black colour appears (positive iodine test)
• If there is no change in colour, (negative iodine test)
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Applications of iodine test
• Detection of starch in various samples
• Testing process of photosynthesis in plants
• Onions contains 0 grams of starch per 100g so
it will not react with iodine solution
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Limitation of iodine test
• Iodine test is qualitative not quantitative
meaning you can only detect presence of
starch but not the concentration
• Starch hydrolyses under acidic conditions,
making iodine test unsuitable for such
samples
• Performing iodine test on samples with very
dark colour is impractical since resulting
colour changes may not be detectable
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Testing for reducing sugars
• Test sample, (potatoes or onions)
• Benedict’s solution
• Test tubes
• Test tube stand
• Water bath
• dropper
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Procedure
• Take a small sample of onion and chop it finely to
increase surface area which will help in extracting juice
• Place chopped onion in a test tube and add small
amount of water. Heat mixture gently to extract juice
• Add benedict’s solution
• Heat the mixture in boiling water bath for 3 to 5
minutes. Heating allow the reaction between the sugar
and benedict’s solution to occur
• Observe colour change
• If sugar is present, solution will change from blue the
original colour of benedict’s solution to green, yellow
or red depending on amount of sugar that is present
• A brick red precipitate indicates presence of reducing
sugars
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Results for benedict’s test
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Explanations
• Benedict’s solution is used to test for the
presence of reducing sugars
• Reducing sugars are sugars that can donate
electrons to other molecules
• The onions contains 3.7g of reducing sugar per
100g so it will react with benedict’s solutions
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Wishing you all the best
THANK YOU
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