| A | B |
|---|
| ninhydrin | amino acids test |
| charring or burning | carbon test |
| cobalt chloride | water test |
| Benedict's solution | sugar test |
| biuret solution | protein test |
| sudan III or IV | lipid test |
| iodine | starch test |
| all biomass contains | water at some time, amino acids, carbon |
| sugar or starch present | plant |
| protein and fat present | animal biomass, nuts |
| starch or protein present, water is not obvious | seed |
| leaves vs. roots? | more starch in roots |
| pH of most biomass | near neutral |
| positive amino acids test results | violet stain appears |
| positive water test results | paper turns from blue to pink |
| positive sugar test results | color turns from blue to red, orange or yellow |
| positive protein test results | color turns from blue to violet |
| positive starch test results | color turns from orange to blue-black |
| positive carbon test results | charring of biomass occurs |
