Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride: Which Jepea Seed Is Dead?
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Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) is an indicator that can be added to cells to indicate enzymatic activity (Brodie, Gots (1951)). This activity is more commonly known as cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration is composed of four processes, each made up of a series of reactions to produce energy for the cell. One of these processes is the electron transport chain (ETC), where electrons are transferred through a sequence of complexes to form a proton gradient. The proton gradient is the motive force that allows energy to be made within the cell (Freeman, Harrington, Joan (2014)). As electrons are being transferred, the TTC intercepts them. Gaining the negative charge causes it to be reduced and this chemical reaction is evident because the reduction causes TTC to turn carmine red (Jenson, Sacks, Baldauski (1951)).…show more content… After both are cut in half, the chickpea seeds are exposed to TTC. The TTC is the key component of this experiment, as it will show signs of respiration occurring. The purpose of this laboratory experiment is to determine which chickpea seed is dead and which one is alive. It is hypothesized that the seed that is living will appear slightly red because it will detect the electron transport chain and capture the electrons. Once the electrons are gained, TTC is reduced and a colour change will occur. This will allow one of the seed to be determined as living. The other seed will be dead and show no signs of respiration, as it will remain the same colour as it did initially, before it was exposed to