Question

Why do we boil the leaf in alcohol when we are testing it for starch?

Answer 1

Starch test:

1. Starch is a carbohydrate that consists of many glucose units attached to glycosidic bonds.
2. When a leaf is boiled in alcohol like ethanol, it helps to extract chlorophyll and help remove the green color of the leaves.
3. After the removal of chlorophyll, the color of the leaf changes to white, and it is easy to observe the change in the color of iodine as starch gives a blue color to iodine.