Question

Using your knowledge of cell membrane structure and the results you obtained in Lab 3 on cell structure, pretend you are looking at the cell membrane of a beet, Beta vulagaris, under the microscope. You have read that beet cells do not contain starch. What would you expect to see if you stained the beet cell with iodine?

Answer 1

Answer:

There will not be any development of black color due to absence of starch in beet cells.

Explanation:

Iodine reactions with starch and gives blue-black color. Iodine test is used to observe the presence of starch in cells. Beet cells do not store starch. Staining the beet cells that lack starch with iodine would not allow the reaction of iodine and starch to produce the characteristic blue-black color. Therefore, there would not be any change in the color of the beet cells upon staining them with iodine.