Osmosis and Diffusion Lab
Saagar Chitale
10/13/14
AP Bio Pd.5
Introduction:
The first part of this three part lab was an investigation that examined the relationship between rate of diffusion and the surface area to volume ratio. To simulate this, we used an agar cube with NaOH and phenolphthalein mixed in, and dropped it in an HCl solution. As the HCL diffused in and reacted with the phenolphthalein, we were visually able to see diffusion at work.
Diffusion is the movement of molecules in a system from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration. This action keeps going until an equilibrium of molecules/ solutes is reached such that the overall movement of molecules through the barrier/membrane is 0. This however, does not mean that nothing is moving across the membrane. Though diffusion is often viewed as an orderly function of molecules moving from a high concentration gradient to a lower one, it is actually quite the opposite. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy- the randomness of molecular movement in the universe is infinitely increasing. This, in relation to diffusion in the cell means that if on one side of a membrane there is a high concentration gradient; there will be low entropy and less randomness of molecular movement. The 2nd law of thermodynamics suggests that the system will inherently try to increase the randomness. To do this, the side with the higher concentration will have to diffuse molecules to the other side of
Cells and molecules in the environment are constantly moving and changing, for cells to function properly there is a need for equilibrium to be met. The size of the cell and the solution outside of the cell affects the rate of diffusion and osmosis in the cell. Cells are constantly trying to reach an equilibrium with the molecules and substances around it, which is why there are such terms as: hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic. The procedures allowed testing of whether or not surface area or volume increased diffusion and how different substance control diffusion. Cells are constantly moving to reach equilibrium through diffusion and osmosis.
Diffusion is defined as the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. The diffusion of water molecules through a semi-permeable(selectively permeable) membrane is osmosis. Semi-permeable means that some molecules can move through the membrane while others can not. Diffusion and Osmosis are passive forms of transport requiring no energy. Active Transport utilizes energy in the form of ATP. Water is a solvent that can dissolve a number of substances more than any other substance. Wherever water goes, through the ground or a body, it takes along valuable molecules. Water’s chemical composition causes it to be attracted to many different molecules and be attracted so strongly it disrupts the forces and dissolves it. Water can pass through the semipermeable membrane without any help but can change the solution, on the other side of the cell membrane, depending on how much it diffuses in and out.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to familiarize you with osmosis and, specifically, what happens to cells when they are exposed to solutions of differing tonicities.
The Osmosis and Diffusion lab was conducted to provide us with information on how built up mucus affects those conflicted by the recessive genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis., due to a mutation to the membrane regulating chloride (Cl-). This mutation prevents the Cl- from leaving the cell causing the amount of sodium (Na+) in epithelial cells, which results in extreme mucus on the lungs and airways causing this disease to be fatal if not treated but treatment does not equate to a long lifetime. During the lab we took the data from three parts: Diffusion, Osmosis in an Elodea Cell, and finally the Role of Osmosis in Cystic Fibrosis. During Part 1 we looked at diffusion across a semipermeable membrane for starch and glucose, which resulted in both having a negative solution when placed in a semipermeable membrane. Then we looked at osmosis in the Elodea Cell to watch for the occurrence of Plasmolysis, when a cell’s plasma membrane pulls away from the cell, and how a plant cell is affected by both hypertonic and hypotonic solutions. Finally, we observed the role of Osmosis in Cystic Fibrosis using dialysis bags to represent a normal cell and a Cystic Fibrosis cell with the normal containing 1% NaCl while the Cystic Fibrosis bag contained 10% NaCl. After we ran the experiment, we looked at the Percent Change in Mass and compared them after 30 minutes. We found that Cystic Fibrosis cells didn’t change mass as much as the normal cell ending with a change in mass over -1%. The
diffusion is one of the passive transport processes. it is used in oxygen entering a cell and carbon dioxide leaving a cell. diffusion is the movement of particles such as atoms or molecules from a high concentration place in an area of a low concentration. this shows that they diffuse down the concentration gradient. the concentration gradient is a gradual change in the concentration of solutes in a solution as a function of distance through a solution. in biology a gradient results from an unequal distribution of particles across the cell membrane. When this happens solutes move along the concentration gradient until the concentration of the
The lab for this paper was conducted for the topic of osmosis, the movement of water from high to low concentration. Five artificial cells were created, each being filled with different concentrated solutions of sucrose. These artificial cells were placed in hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic solutions for a period of 90 min. Over time, the rate of osmosis was measured by calculating the weight of each artificial cell on given intervals (every 10 minutes). The resulting weights were recorded and the data was graphed. We then could draw conclusions on the lab.
The difference is that along with large molecules, living cells prevent molecules with positive charges and solubility. This is not representing in dialysis tubing, and is only found in living cells because the tubing is only based on molecular size (98). When referring the rate of diffusion, the concentration gradient influences the diffusion rate, based on the factors of temperature. The ability for molecules diffuse from high to low concentrations primarily depends on the concentration gradient between the two areas.(96-99). My hypothesis for the study is that in the hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic solutions, the direction and rate of osmosis will determine based on the concentration inside the dialysis tubing. My prediction is that if the solution is hypotonic the results will decrease, if the solution is hypertonic the results will increase and if the solution is isotonic the solution will vary and or remain constant.
Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until equilibrium is reached. Osmosis, however, is the movement of water according to its own concentration gradient across a selectively
The following hypothesis was made in regard to effect of the concentration gradient on the rate of diffusion: The higher the concentration gradient, the faster the rate of diffusion.
Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. The rate at which molecules diffuse can be determined by the relationship of molecular weight and that rate of diffusion through a membrane. Hypothesis of this experiment is that the fluid with higher molecular weight will diffuse at a slower rate and distance.
Osmosis is defined as the tendency of water to flow through a semipermeable membrane to the side with a lower solute concentration. Water potential can be explained by solutes in a solution. The more positive a number is more likely it will lose water. Therefore should water potential be negative the cell the less likely it will lose water. In using potatoes the effects of the molarity of sucrose on the turgidity of plant cells. According to Clemson University, the average molarity of a White potato is between .24 M and .31 M when submerged in a sorbitol solution. This experiment was conducted with the purpose of explaining the relationship found between the mass in plants when put into varying concentrations of sucrose solutions. Should the potatoes be placed in a solution that contains 0.2M or .4M of sucrose solution it will be hypotonic and gain mass or if placed in .6M< it will be hypertonic and lose mass instead. Controlled Variables in this lab were: Composition of plastic cups, Brand of Russet Potatoes, Brand of Sweet Potatoes and the Temperature of the room. For independent variable that caused the results recorded it was the different Sucrose concentrations (0.0M, 0.2M, 0.4M, 0.6M, 0.8M, 1M). The dependent variable was the percentage change from the initial weighs to the final. The cup with .4 molarity was the closest to an isotonic solution and was used as the control group for the lab. Water potential is the free energy per mole of water. It is
A cell needs to perform diffusion in order to survive. Substances, including water, ions, and molecules that are required for cellular activities, can enter and leave cells by a passive process such as diffusion. Diffusion is random movement of molecules in a net direction from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration order to reach equilibrium. Diffusion does not require any energy input. Diffusion is needed for basic cell functions - for example, in humans, cells obtain oxygen via diffusion from the alveoli of the lungs into the blood and in plants water
Cells are always in motion, energy of motion known as kinetic energy. This kinetic energy causes the membranes in motion to bump into each other, causing the membranes to move in another direction – a direction from a higher concentration of the solution to a lower one. Membranes moving around leads to diffusion and osmosis. Diffusion is the random movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, until they are equally distributed (Mader & Windelspecht, 2012, p. 50). Cells have a plasma membrane that separates the internal cell from the exterior environment. The plasma membrane is selectively permeable which allows certain solvents to pass through
All cells contain membranes that are selectively permeable, allowing certain things to pass into and leave out of the cell. The process in which molecules of a substance move from an area of high concentration to areas of low concentration is called Diffusion. Whereas Osmosis is the process in which water crosses membranes from regions of high water concentration to areas with low water concentration. While molecules in diffusion move down a concentration gradient, molecules during osmosis both move down a concentration gradient as well as across it. Both diffusion, and osmosis are types of passive transport, which do not require help.
First I gather all my materials needed for the experiment (see materials list). Second I peel and slice potatoes weigh each potato in grams. Get these slices to weigh the same in mass because if they vary to much in mass that could affect the results of the experiment. Third I place each potato in its own beaker. Fourth once the potatoes are placed in beakers I make sure to place enough solution to fully cover the potato. Each beaker should have a different amount of