Introduction Water  splits into hydrogen and oxygen molecules  the hydrogen powers the synthesis of ATP  powers the Calvin Cycle and dark reactions – Accepted as the best liquid for plants Caffeine helps increase the energy in humans, will it increase the rate of photosynthesis?

What is Caffeine? Caffeine= stimulant – stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems disguises as adenosine, a calming agent causes the cells to speed up. – gives people more energy. Medical uses – Speeds up the cardiovascular system and stimulates urine making Could caffeine increase the rate of photosynthesis?

Our Purpose Will Caffeine have an effect on the rate of Photosynthesis? If so, what kind of effect? Hypothesis: Caffeine will increase the rate of photosynthesis.

Experimental Design Independent variable: the amount of caffeine in the plant Dependent variable: rate of photosynthesis Experimental group: the liquids Control group: spring water Constants: the light, the temperature, the amount of liquid, the soil, the space the plant has to grow in

Our Equipment and Materials 3 plants soil Starbucks Double-Shot Lipton Green Tea spring water beakers sharpies Labpro/Loggerpro technology O 2 sensor computer

Setting Up Purchase: – 3 plants – One 16.9 fl. oz. Lipton Green Tea bottle – One 6.5 fl. oz. starbucks double shot espresso can – One 16.9 fl. oz. Ozarka water bottle Label each plant pot – C (caffeine) T (tea), W (water) – The labels indicate what type of liquid should be poured on each plant Set up the plants in a place where all constants are under control.

Experimenting Day 1: Pour 50 mL. of each liquid into their designated pots. Day 2: repeat instructions from Day 1 - water the plants once a day for two days Day 3: take measurements of the rate of photosynthesis

Materials to Measure Photosynthesis Measuring the rate of photosynthesis using an O 2 sensor – Calculates how many out of a certain number of air molecules is an oxygen molecule. This number can be per million, per billion, or per trillion. To put it into a readable form use the LoggerPro 3 software

Measuring Rate of Photosynthesis 1.Cut a piece off a piece of one leaf from each plant 2.Put each snippet into its own 0 2 sensor which should be connected to a LabPro system and a computer 3.When everything is plugged in a program will open up and start graphing oxygen in ppt (parts per trillion) 4.Save the graphs to your computer and compare the oxygen graphs from the tea and coffee to the control, water. 5.Analyze the material to see if caffeine had an affect on the rate of photosynthesis

Water’s Effect on the Amount of Oxygen

WATER

Coffee’s Effect on the Amount of Oxygen

COFFEE

Tea’s Effect on the Amount of Oxygen

TEA

Analysis Caffeinated fluids did the worst damage – Tea= bad for rate of photosynthesis No movement in the chart – Coffee= worst for rate of photosynthesis Plant died Acids in tea and coffee could have effected the plants

?????? New Questions ?????? Could caffeine have a similar effect on humans? Why did mold grow on the soil of the coffee plant? What effect does acid have on the rate of photosynthesis? What kind of effect does lactose have on photosynthesis?