1. EQUIPMENT
The following is a suggested list of equipment appropriate for Leaving Certificate Biology. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Valid alternatives may be available for some of the equipment listed.
| Absorbent (blotting) paper | Dissecting kits (24): (awls, pins, fine and blunt forceps, scalpels and blades, fine and blunt scissors, mounted needles and seekers, safety backed blades) | Parafilm |
| Adhesive tape | Electric hotplates (6) | Pasteur pipettes/droppers |
| Anaerobic system | Electric magnetic hotplates (2) | Pestle and mortar sets |
| Animal rings or tag system | Electronic mass balances (6) (to 0.1g reading) | Petri dishes |
| Animal traps | Fermentation locks | pH meter |
| Aquarium | Filter paper | Pipette fillers |
| Autoclave | First aid kit | Plastic syringes |
| Autoclave bags | Forceps | Pooters |
| Backed blades | Growth tray and boxes | Pressure cooker |
| Baermann funnels | Hand/finger protectors, (silicone rubber) | Pulse rate monitor |
| Basins | Hand lenses | Quadrats |
| Bench Kote | Hand microtome | Retort stands |
| Bijou bottles (plastic) | Incubator | Ropes/line transects |
| Binocular microscopes (4), (eyepiece lens: ×10, objective lenses: ×4, ×10, ×40) | Inoculating loops | Rubber bands |
| Breathing rate apparatus | Jugs | Rubber bungs |
| Brown paper | Laboratory safety equipment | Rubber/plastic tubing |
| Bunsen burners | Lamps | Rulers |
| Chopping boards | Lens tissue | Scalpel blade removers |
| Coffee filter paper | Light meters | Scissors |
| Colorimeter | Liquidisers | Secateurs |
| Compasses | Metre sticks | Sharp knives |
| Cork borer set | Micropipettes | Sieves |
| Cotton wool (absorbent) | Monocular microscopes (20), (eyepiece lens: ×10, objective lenses: ×4, ×10, ×40) | Small and large buckets |
| Counting instruments | Mounted needles | Small paintbrushes |
| Cylinder protectors(black neoprene) | Mounted seekers | Soil thermometers |
| Dialysis tubing (medium width) | Mouth swabs | Spades or trowels |
| Disposable gloves | Nets: (insect, sweep, plankton and fish) | Spatulas |
| Disposable inoculating loops | Paper towels | Stopwatches |
| Disposal units (sharps, glassware, and biological) | | Tape measures |
| Dissecting boards/trays | | Tent pegs |
| | | Test-tube holders |
| | | Test-tube racks |
| | | Thistle funnels |
| | | Tullgren funnels |
| | | Wash bottles |
| | | Water baths (4) |
| | | Water deioniser |
| | | Weigh boats |
2. GLASSWARE
The following is a suggested list of glassware appropriate for Leaving Certificate Biology. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Valid alternatives may be available for some of the glassware listed.
| Beakers (various sizes) | Medical specimen bottles |
| Bijou bottles with wadless polypropylene cap | Microscope slides |
| Boiling tubes (various sizes) | Petri dishes |
| Clock glasses | Pipettes |
| Conical flasks | Reagent bottles (various sizes, both amber and clear) |
| Cover slips | Separating funnels |
| Droppers | Test tubes (Pyrex) |
| Durham tubes | Thermometers |
| Funnels | Tubing (capillary and solid) |
| Glass stirring rods | Volumetric flasks (various volumes) |
| Graduated cylinders (various volumes) | |
3. CHEMICALS
The following is a suggested list of chemicals appropriate for Leaving Certificate Biology. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Valid alternatives may be available for some of the chemicals listed.
| Amylase | Copper sulfate | Skimmed milk powder |
| Agar plates (starch, malt, skimmed milk) | Diastase | Soda lime |
| Agars | Ethanol (95%) | Sodium alginate |
| Albumen | Fehlings I and II solutions | Sodium hydrogencarbonate |
| Alcohol (methylated spirits or industrial spirits) | Food dye | Sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide |
| Aluminium foil | Glucose test strips | Sodium hypochlorite |
| Aseptic wash solutions | Hydrochloric acid (concentrated) | Soil test kit box for mineral content |
| Benedict's (qualitative) solution | Hydrogen peroxide | Soil test kit box for pH |
| Bicarbonate indicator (hydrogen carbonate indicator) | Indole acetic acid (IAA) | Starch powder (Analar) |
| Biuret reagent | Iodine | Sucrose |
| Buffer solutions (various pH values) | Malt powder | Sudan III |
| Calcium chloride | Methylene blue stain | Sulfuric acid (concentrated) |
| Calcium hydroxide | Petroleum jelly | Trypsin |
| Cellulose paint marker | pH paper | Universal indicator paper |
| Chinagraph pencils | Phloroglucin powder | Vegetable oil |
| Potassium iodide | Washing-up liquid |
| | Protease enzyme | |
| | Reducing sugar e.g. glucose | |
| | Salt | |
4. BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
The following is a suggested list of biological materials appropriate for Leaving Certificate Biology. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Valid alternatives may be available for some of the biological materials listed
| Cabomba | Radishes |
| Elodea | Scenedesmus |
| Hearts | Seeds |
| Milk | Variety of shoots |
| Onions | Yeast |
5. OTHER RESOURCES
The following is a suggested list of other resources appropriate for Leaving Certificate Biology. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Valid alternatives may be available for some of the resources listed
| Computer and software | Multimedia projector |
| CD, DVD player | Oven |
| Data-logging systems | Overhead projector |
| Dishwasher | Printer |
| Fridge-freezer | Scanner |
| Games | Slide projector and slides |
| Guidebooks to identify fauna and flora, reference books, organism keys | Television set |
| Microscopic eye or visiview camera | VCR and tapes |
| Microwave oven | Video logging systems |
| Models | Wall charts, posters |
6. STOCK SOLUTIONS AND PREPARATION OF PLATES
Albumen solution (1% w/v): Place 1 g of albumen in water and make up to100 cm3 with water. Prepare fresh solutions as required..
Copper sulfate solution (1% w/v): Dissolve 1 g of copper sulfate in 100 cm3of water.
Food dye: Add 3 5 drops of dark blue/green food colouring to 100 cm3of tap water.
Glucose solution (1% w/v): Dissolve 1 g of glucose in water and make up to 100 cm3with water. This solution keeps well.
Glucose solution (10% w/v): Dissolve 10 g glucose in distilled water and make up to 100 cm3with water.
HCl solution: Add 20 cm3 of concentrated HCl to water. Cool. Make up to 100 cm3. This provides the minimum strength (20%) HCl solution required. Stronger solutions, up to concentrated, may be used.
Indole acetic acid (0.01 % w/v): Wearing a face mask and following appropriate safety procedures, weigh out 0.1 g of indole acetic acid powder and place it in a large beaker. Add 2 cm3 of ethanol and stir to dissolve. Add approximately 800 cm3 of distilled water. Heat to 80 °C for 5 minutes to drive off the alcohol. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add to a volumetric flask and make up to 1 litre with distilled water. Mix well.
Iodine solution: Dissolve 2 g of potassium iodide crystals in 25 cm3of water. Add 1 g of iodine crystals. Make the solution up to 100 cm3. Store in a dark glass bottle. Use 25 cm3bottles to distribute the solutions.
Phloroglucinol stain: Mix 5 g of phloroglucin powder with 100 cm3of 75 % alcohol or a 1 % solution may be made by dissolving 1 g of phloroglucin powder in distilled water and making up to 100 cm3. This preparation must be stored in a dark bottle as light causes the rapid breakdown of the phloroglucinol solution. The solution should be clear when being used. An orange colour indicates that the stain will not be effective.
Potassium iodide (10% w/v): Dissolve 10 g potassium iodide in distilled water and make up to 100 cm3with water.
Sodium hydrogencarbonate (1% w/v): Dissolve 1 g sodium hydrogencarbonate in distilled water and make up to 100 cm3with water. Dilute with distilled water as appropriate to get other concentrations.
Sodium hydroxide solution (10% w/v): Dissolve 10 g of sodium hydroxide in water and make up to 100 cm3with water. Stir to dissolve.
Starch solution (1% w/v): Shake 1 g of soluble starch (Analar) on to 100 cm3 of water and bring to boiling point to obtain a clear solution. Cool. Make up to 100 cm3 with water.
Preparation of starch agar plates (to make 4-5 plates):
- Boil 50 cm3distilled water in a beaker.
- Mix 1 g of soluble starch with a little cold distilled water.
- Add the starch suspension to the boiling water, stirring continuously.
- Mix 1 g of agar powder with a little cold distilled water.
- Add this agar suspension to the boiling starch solution, stirring continuously.
- Pour the starch agar solution into a conical flask and plug the top with cotton wool.
- Sterilise the agar and the dishes at 121 °C for 15 minutes.
- Allow all materials to cool a little.
- Line the petri dishes up along the edge of the bench. Wearing heat-resistant gloves, remove the cotton wool plug from the flask and quickly flame the top of the flask.
- With minimal opening, pour the starch agar into the sterile petri dishes.
- Allow the starch agar to set.
Preparation of skimmed milk agar plates (to make 4-5 plates):
- Mix 1 g of skimmed milk powder with 50 cm3of cold distilled water in a beaker.
- Heat until dissolved but don't boil, stirring continuously.
- Mix 1 g of agar powder with a little cold distilled water.
- Add this agar suspension to the hot skimmed milk solution, stirring continuously.
- Pour the skimmed milk agar solution into a conical flask and plug the top with cotton wool.
- Sterilise the agar and the dishes at 121 °C for 15 minutes.
- Allow all materials to cool a little.
- Line petri dishes up along the edge of the bench. Wearing heat-resistant gloves, remove the cotton wool plug from the flask and quickly flame the top of the flask.
- With minimal opening, pour the skimmed milk agar into the sterile petri dishes.
- Allow the skimmed milk agar to set.
Preparation of malt agar plates (to make 30 plates):
- Boil 500 cm3distilled water in a beaker.
- Mix 2 g of malt extract powder with a little cold distilled water.
- Add the malt suspension to the boiling water, stirring continuously.
- Mix 7.5 g of agar powder with a little cold distilled water.
- Add the agar suspension to the boiling malt solution, stirring continuously.
- Pour the malt agar solution into a conical flask and plug the top with cotton wool.
- Sterilise the agar and the dishes at 121 °C for 15 minutes.
- Allow all materials to cool a little.
- Line the petri dishes up along the edge of the bench. Wearing heat-resistant gloves, remove the cotton wool plug from the flask and quickly flame the top of the flask.
- With minimal opening, pour the malt agar into the sterile petri dishes.
- Allow the malt agar to set.