Red hunting Inorganic Ions B1.6 - Describe and explain the role of nitrate ions, calcium ions, magnesium ions and phosphate ions in plants.

Inorganic Ions Inorganic ions like nitrate (NO3-), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and phosphate (PO43-) are key components of molecules in living things. Nitrate ions are extracted by plants from the soil, and their nitrogen atoms used for other things. DNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine) Amino acids

Calcium ions (Ca2+) Calcium ions have a key role in calcium pectate . "Calcium pectate, a pectin fiber that adds crispness to fruits and vegetables, also has potent cholesterol- lowering properties." The calcium ions bind to pectin (a carbohydrate) in plant cell walls creating a pectate salt, and contribute to its strength and stability. It's present in all fruit and vegetables.

Magnesium ions (Mg2+) Magnesium ions are central to photosynthesis in plants because they are a constituent of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment that enables the use of light in extracting chemical energy from water

Red hunting B1.5 Enzymes CORE PRACTICAL 1: Describe how to investigate a factor affecting the initial rate of an enzyme– controlled reaction. Describe how the initial rate of enzyme activity can be measured and why this is important.

Initial rate: The start of the reaction. First minute! Units may depend on question but will usually be per second or per minute X s-1 X min-1

 Describe how the initial rate of reaction could be obtained from a graph of this data. You may use a diagram to illustrate your answer. (3)

Describe an experiment that could be carried out to investigate the effect of enzyme concentration on the initial rate of reaction. (4)