Candy Electrophoresis Lab

1. One dye band was a different size than the reference band. All the dyes were the same colors as the reference bands except for the orange dye. The dye was a bit darker than the reference band. The color difference did not occur in more than one color band. We did not observe any dyes that were moving in the "wrong" direction. These dyes could have had other ingredients in their coloring in addition to the reference dyes causing them to move/look slightly different.

2. Fast green FCF would move similarly to Blue 1 and Citrus red 2 would move similarly to Red 40 because they are similar in size to each other. Fragments of similar size travel together in groups. They move at a similar pace and travel almost the same distance as each other.

3. Dog manufactures put artificial food colors into dog food because they want to make the food look more appealing to their customers and seem less processed. The only reason why they use artificial food dyes is for aesthetic appeal.

5. The two factors that control the distance the colored dye solutions migrate are their length and weight.

6. The positive electrical current helps move the dyes through the gel.

7. Gel electrophoresis causes the molecules to separate by size because the smaller fragments travel further and move faster while the larger fragments travel less and move slower. Fragments of the same size travel in groups and cover the same amount of distance.

8. The DNA molecule with the molecular weight of 600 daltons would move the fastest and the furthest. The next to travel the furthest would be the DNA molecule that weighs 1000 daltons. After that, the molecule with the weight of 2000 daltons, and finally the DNA molecule with the weight of 5000 daltons would travel the least and move the slowest.