Science Fair Project
Keep Calm and Split DNA
Charisma Ware - Carleen McNees - Syracuse Junior High
Problem
• How can you separate DNA when they are to
small to see , let alone cut?
Hypothesis
• If I put a group of “DNA / RNA” in a gel
electrophoresis chamber then the “DNA / RNA” will
separate because scientists use gel electrophoresis
chambers to separate DNA and RNA all of the time.
Research
• Gel Electrophoresis
In the early days of DNA manipulation, DNA fragments
were laboriously separated by gravity. In the 1970s, the powerful
tool of DNA gel electrophoresis was developed. This process uses
electricity to separate DNA fragments by size as they migrate
through a gel matrix
• Check out Gel Electrophoresis Chamber Video on the website
below
• http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/gelelectrophores
is.html
• Play the Gel Electrophoresis Game on the website below it
teaches you how to use a Gel Electrophoresis Chamber and why
we use them.
• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/gel/
Materials
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Plastic Ice Cube Tray
Aluminum foil
9 volt battery
Connecting wires with
alligator clips
• Scissors
• Buffer solution (baking
soda and water, mixed
evenly)
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Medicine dropper
Agar solution
Scale
Measuring Cup with mL
Pot & stove
“DNA” (Food coloring)
Variables
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Independent: “DNA” Food Coloring
Dependent: Gel Electrophoresis Chamber
Constant: Buffer Solution
Control: N/A
Procedure- Part 1
Setting the Gel
1. Clean and dry two mold chambers of an ice cube tray.
2. Get the agar solution.
3. Pour this solution into each of the tray slots.
4. Leave alone or place the tray in a refrigerator to speed
up the solidification process of the gelatin.
 Agar Solution: Mix 3g of Agar Powder with 260mL of
Water. Bring to a boil and stir evenly. Let cool and follow
steps 1-4.
Procedure –Part 2
Building the Chamber
1.Make a blade-like tool to cut into the solid gel.
2. Use this “blade” to poke a slot-shaped well into the
gelatin. The “well” should be in about the middle. Use
this tool to poke, cut, and remove the gel material so
that a thin (less than 1mm) rectangular slot is created.
3. Cut two strips of aluminum foil (about 1 cm by 4
cm) for the chamber
electrodes. Insert these along opposite inner sides of
the mold.
Procedure –Part 3
Running the Sample
1. Fill to the surface with buffer solution. A layer of about 3 mm of
buffer must cover the top of the gel and fill the rectangular well.
2. Fill your pipette or medicine dropper with green food coloring. Put the tip in
the buffer and position it at the bottom of the well. Slowly release some of your
sample and observe how if flows upward and fill the well. Continue releasing the
sample until the well is filled. Carefully remove the tip of the pipette or dropper
from the chamber, trying not to mess with the buffer solution.
3. Use alligator clips to connect a 9-volt battery to the tops of the
aluminum foil tips. Wait one hour.
4. Check on the gel.
NOTE: You can increase the speed of the separation by wiring up
several 9-volt batteries together.
5. Reattach the clips and continue examining the gel at 30-minute intervals.
Observations
• All of the samples are mostly negatively
charged.
• All of the secondary colors split into the
primary colors that create them.
• Yellow traveled farther than red and blue in
the green and orange samples.
Red
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the red
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the red
coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubble were all red.
Orange
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the orange
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the
orange coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubbles were red and
yellow, the two colors I
used to create the orange
coloring. The yellow
traveled farther than the
red.
Yellow
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the yellow
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the
yellow coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubble were all yellow.
Green
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the green
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the
green coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubble were yellow and
red. The yellow traveled
the furthest.
Blue
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the blue
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the blue
coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubble were all blue.
Purple
(observations)
After 1 hour of sitting
undisturbed, the purple
sample had bubbles near
the positive electrode
which means that the
purple coloring is mostly
negatively charged. The
bubble were blue and red.
The red traveled farther
than the blue.
Conclusion
You can separate DNA with a Gel Electrophoresis
Chamber. My hypothesis was correct. I would like to
try this experiment again but, next time I would get
more than two 9 volt batteries and make more
colors.