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Lab Report On Plasmolysis

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Lab RECAP: Plasmolysis In this lab we learned about plasmolysis. We completed this lab to study the effects of salt and distilled water on elodea cells. We first took a leaf of an elodea plant and placed it on a slide with a drop of distilled water. We then placed a cover slip over the leaf and observed the leaf under a compound microscope with lenses that magnified the cells 100 times and then under a lense that magnified the cells 400 times. We then recorded what we saw by drawing a couple cells in each power. Next, we placed a drop of saltwater on the same leaf and observed it again under the same two magnifications. We recorded what we saw by drawing a the group of cells that we saw. Finally, we added a drop of distilled water to wash out the salt water and repeated the procedure of observing and recording at the two different powers. I knew that salt dissolves in water and that the salt may affect the water levels within the cell. I also knew that when salt was exposed to a plant, the plant wilted. However, I did not have a good understanding of plasmolysis, so I did not have an idea on what was going to happen to the cells during the lab.
When I looked at the cells with a drop of distilled water, I saw a rigid cell wall that surrounded each cell. I also saw a cell membrane that lined the cell and green chloroplasts that lined each membrane. The whole cell had a green hue and the chloroplasts were a brilliant green. I saw tiny cells with green circles moving inside of them under the 100 times magnification. However, in the 400 times power, I could see the separation between the cell wall and the cell membrane more than in the 100 times magnification. The cell’s volume did not surpass the cell wall. When I added a drop of salt water to the leaf, the cell wall remained in place, whereas the cell membrane shrunk and did not line the cell wall as it was with the distilled water. The chloroplasts moved with the cell membrane and were closer to the each other. The chloroplasts were compressed together when the cell was exposed to salt, whereas in the distilled solution, the chloroplasts were able to move freely. When the plasmolyzed cells were under the 100 times magnification, I could see the shrinkage of

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