Name: Sheri-Gaye Clarke
Lab #:
Date: December 16, 2021
Topic: Osmosis
Aim: to see how increasing the concentration of sodium chloride affects
the size of potato cylinders by osmosis.
Equipment and material: cork borer, test tubes, sodium chloride (0.0, 0.2,
0.3, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0M), ruler, tissue paper, measuring cylinder, test tube rack,
potato ,scale , test tube rack , timer , petri dish
Method:
1) Six test tubes with different concentrations of 0.0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.6, 0.8, and
1.0M was labeled.
2) 10cm3 of each concentration of NaCl solution was added to the
labeled test tubes
3) A cork borer was used to obtain six strips of potato 3cm long.
4) Each strip was weighed and the data was recorded in a table. They
were then left undisturbed for 6 hours.
5) All the strips were simultaneously placed in test tubes and left.
6) All strips were removed and gently blotted to remove excess fluid
with tissue paper.
7) The weight of each strip was measured and recorded in the results
table.
8) A graph of the percentage change in the length of the strip against
concentration of sodium chloride was plotted
TABLE SHOWING RESULTS OF POTATO STRIPS IN DIFFERENT
CONCENTRATIONS OF SODIUM CHLORIDE
Concentration(M) Initial Initial Final Final Percentage
length(cm) mass(g) Length(cm) Mass(g) change in
length (to 1
d.p.)
0.0 3.0 0.6 3.4 0.8 13
0.2 3.0 0.7 3.2 0.7 6
0.3 3.0 0.6 2.9 0.5 -3
0.6 3.0 0.7 2.8 0.4 -6
0.8 3.0 0.6 2.9 0.4 -3
1.0 3.0 0.8 2.8 0.6 -6
Discussion:
The net passage of solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane
is referred to as osmosis. It's comparable to diffusion in that it moves
downhill, from a higher to a lower concentration. However, in osmosis, the
movement must take place over a semipermeable barrier. Osmosis cannot
be called osmosis without this component. The ability of an extracellular
solution to make water move into or out of a cell by osmosis is known as
its tonicity and there are 3 types.
When a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, it will lose volume due
to a net flow of water out of the cell. If the concentration of solutes in a
solution is higher than that inside the cell, and the solutes cannot cross the
membrane, the solution is hypertonic to the cell. The cell membrane than
pulls away from the walls of the plant cells and the cell becomes flaccid.
When a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, it will grow volume
due to a net flow of water entering the cell. The solution is hypotonic to the
cell if the solute concentration outside the cell is lower than inside the cell
and the solutes cannot cross the membrane. Plant cells have a cell wall
around the outside than stops them from bursting, so a plant cell will swell
up in a hypotonic solution, but will not burst.
When a cell is submerged in an isotonic solution, there is no net
movement of water into or out of it, and the volume of the cell remains
constant. The solution is isotonic to the cell if the solute concentration
outside the cell is the same as inside the cell and the solutes cannot cross
the membrane.
In the results obtained from the experiment the strips of potatoes were
placed in solutions of various concentrations. While some potato strips
increased in size (for example the first potato strip with 0.0 moles of
solution concentration increased its length by 0.2 cm and increased its mass
by 0.2 grams), however some decreased (for example the potato strip
placed in 1 mole of concentrated solution had a decrease in length by –o.2
cm and decreased in mass by -0.2 grams). In the graph of results above it
can be seen where there is a gradual decrease in percentage difference of
length from 13 to 6 for 0.0 a d 0.2 moles. Then at 0.3 moles it went at a
lower rate which was -3 percent which suggests that the potato strip lost
water due to osmosis and diffused into the salt solution since it has a
higher concentration than 0.0 and 0.2 moles .At 0.6 moles it had the most
negative percentage loss in length .which was -6percent
However the potato strip that was in 0.8 moles has 3 percent more of
the percentage length than that which was in 0.6 moles. after doing further
studies and looking more into the experiment there was a realization that
although it was placed in 0.8 moles and had the initial length of 3.0 cm
which was the length for the rest of the strips its initial mass was 0.6 grams
which was the same mass as the potato strip placed in 0.3 grams and they
have the same final length as well which is 2.9 cm. this can be further
concluded that the mass of an object affects the length of an object since
mass is the amount of matter found in an object. In the final potato strip
which has 1.0 mole, the percentage of change in length is -6 percent.
Source of Error:
Ensure potato strips are of the same length
Ensure the solutions have varying concentrations.
Conclusion:
Osmosis occurs in solutions with various concentrations or
tonicities.