Question

To remove chlorophyll, the leaf should be boiled in _______.

• A. Water
• B. Alcohol
• C. Iodine solution
• D. Potassium permanganate

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Alcohol

Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in the leaves. It helps in the process of photosynthesis for preparing starch. For removing this pigment from the leaves, alcohol (ethanol) is used.

The process is as follows:

1. Heat a leaf in boiling water for 30 seconds. This will kill the leaf and stop any chemical reaction.
2. Now add the blanched leaf to the boiling ethanol in a water bath for a few minutes.
3. The boiling ethanol dissolves the chlorophyll and removes the green colour from the leaf.
4. The leaf turns white, and hence, the change in colour can be observed now.

So, the correct answer is option B.