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Osmosis and Diffusion Experiment Analysis

1. Students investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of osmosis in potato chips. They submerged potato chips cut to the same size in water at different temperatures and measured the change in mass over time to determine the rate of water uptake. 2. Cells regulate the concentrations of ions inside and outside through selective permeability and transport mechanisms like diffusion and active transport. Sodium ions enter cells through active transport while potassium ions enter through diffusion. 3. Students investigated sugar concentration in dandelion cells by submerging strips of dandelion stem in sugar solutions of different concentrations. They observed no change in strips in 0.2M solution, indicating the sugar concentration in cells matches 0.2M.

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114 views10 pages

Osmosis and Diffusion Experiment Analysis

1. Students investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of osmosis in potato chips. They submerged potato chips cut to the same size in water at different temperatures and measured the change in mass over time to determine the rate of water uptake. 2. Cells regulate the concentrations of ions inside and outside through selective permeability and transport mechanisms like diffusion and active transport. Sodium ions enter cells through active transport while potassium ions enter through diffusion. 3. Students investigated sugar concentration in dandelion cells by submerging strips of dandelion stem in sugar solutions of different concentrations. They observed no change in strips in 0.2M solution, indicating the sugar concentration in cells matches 0.2M.

Uploaded by

cheeto
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Q1. Osmosis is the movement of water through partially permeable cell membranes.

A group of students investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of osmosis in potato cells.
The students used five potato chips all cut to the same size.

Figure 1 shows one chip.

Figure 1

This is the method used.

1. Half fill a boiling tube with distilled water.


2. Heat the water to 25 °C
3. Place one potato chip in the boiling tube.
4. Keep the boiling tube and potato chip at 25 °C for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat steps 1−4 at four other temperatures.

(a) All of the potato chips gained water by osmosis.

Explain how the students would find out the rate of water uptake by osmosis in each
potato chip.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)

(b) One of the students used a knife to cut the potato chips.

Suggest how the student could improve the method of cutting the potato chips to make
sure they are all the same size.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)
(c) Another student cut their potato chips as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Suggest how the rate of water uptake by osmosis in this investigation was different from
the investigation with the chips shown in Figure 2.

Give a reason for your answer.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(d) The students carried out the experiment at 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, 40 °C and 45 °C

Predict what you would expect the results to show as the temperature increases.

Give a reason for your answer.

Prediction __________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Reason ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 8 marks)
Q2. Cells, tissues and organs are adapted to take in different substances and get rid of different
substances.

The table shows the concentration of four ions outside cells and inside cells.

Concentration
Concentration inside
Ion outside cells in mmol
cells in mmol per dm3
per dm3

Sodium 140 9

Potassium 7 138

Calcium 2 27

Chloride 118 3

(a) Use information from the table above to complete the following sentences.

Sodium ions will move into cells by the process

of __________________________________ .

Potassium ions will move into cells by the process

of __________________________________ .
(2)

(b) Some students investigated the effect of the different concentrations of sugar in four
drinks, A, B, C and D, on the movement of water across a partially permeable membrane.

The students:

• made four bags from artificial partially permeable membrane

• put equal volumes of 5% sugar solution in each bag

• weighed each bag containing the sugar solution

• placed one bag in each of the drinks, A, B, C and D

• after 20 minutes removed the bags containing the sugar solution and weighed them
again.

The diagram below shows how they set up the investigation.


(i) The bag in drink A got heavier after 20 minutes.

Explain why.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(ii) In which drink, A, B, C or D, would you expect the bag to show the smallest change
in mass?

Tick (✔) one box.

A B C D

(1)

(iii) Explain why you think the bag you chose in part (b)(ii) would show the smallest
change.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 8 marks)
Q3. Substances are transported across cell membranes by different processes.

Figure 1 represents a section of cell membrane in a plant root.

Figure 1

(a) Substance B moves into the root cell.

Suggest what substance B is.

Explain your answer.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)

Students wanted to determine the concentration of sugar solution in dandelion cells.

This is the method used.

1. Cut a 40 mm length of dandelion stem into five identical strips.

2. Draw the appearance of a strip.

3. Place each strip into a different concentration of sugar solution.

4. After 1 hour, draw the appearance of each strip.

Figure 2 shows how the dandelion stem was cut.


Figure 2

The cells on the outer edge of the dandelion strip have a waxy waterproof layer.

The table shows the students’ drawings of the strips of dandelion stem.

(b) Explain the result for the 0.2 mol/dm3 sugar solution.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(4)
(c) Suggest the concentration of sugar solution in the dandelion cells.

Use the table above.

Concentration = ___________________________ mol/dm3


(1)

(d) Explain your answer to part (c).

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(e) The results shown in the table above are qualitative.

Qualitative results depend on a person’s judgement so may not be accurate.

The students wanted to determine the concentration of sugar solution in dandelion cells.

Describe how the method could be improved to obtain an accurate, quantitative result.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 12 marks)
Mark schemes

Q1.
(a) measure the mass / length of the chip at the start*
1

measure the mass / length of the chip at the end*


1
*if neither mark awarded allow 1 mark for
measure the increase in length / mass

divide the change in mass / length by time taken


1
ignore references to blotting the potato chips

(b) use cork borer


allow a description
allow a potato chip cutter
1

(c) (rate) would be higher / faster


ignore more diffusion / osmosis
1

(as) surface area (for diffusion / osmosis) is greater


1

(d) (as temperature increases the) rate (of osmosis) would increase
ignore more water taken in
1

as (water) molecules / particles have more energy to move (faster)


or
as (water) molecules / particles have more kinetic energy
allow (water) molecules / particles move faster
1
[8]

Q2.
(a) diffusion
1
active transport
1
this order only

(b) (i) concentration (of sugar) in the bag was higher (than in the drink)
allow concentration (of sugar) in the drink was lower (than in
the bag)

or

higher concentration of water outside the bag or in the drink / boiling tube
allow higher water potential outside the bag or lower water
potential inside the bag
1

(so) water moved in (to the tubing)


allow water moves down its concentration gradient
do not allow sugar moving
1

by osmosis
allow diffusion (of water)
do not allow sugar moving by osmosis or water moving by
active transport
1

(ii) B
1

(iii) close(st) to the concentration in the bag or to 5%


allow small(est) diffusion gradient or close(st) to an
equilibrium
1

(so rate of) diffusion / osmosis is slow


allow (so) less water moves in (to the bag)
ignore ref. to sugar
1
[8]

Q3.
(a) mineral / nitrate ion
allow nitrates
allow potassium / magnesium / sodium ion
do not accept nitrogen
1

(because) it is more concentrated inside the cell


allow converse
1

(so) it is moving against / up the concentration gradient


ignore moving along concentration gradient
allow from low concentration to high
concentration
or

(so must) be moving by active transport / uptake


1

(b) cell contents are more concentrated than the 0.2 (mol/dm3) solution
allow more dilute solution outside the cell
allow higher concentration of water outside of the
cells
1

(therefore) water moves into the cells by osmosis


allow water moves into the cells by diffusion
do not accept active transport
1

the cells on the inner edge swell with water


allow cells on the inner edge become turgid
allow cells on the inner edge absorb water and
expand
1

(but) the cells on the outer edge absorb less / no water so the stem curls
allow cells on outer edge absorb water at a
slower rate
allow cells on outer edge cannot expand and
therefore the stem curls
1

(c) between 0.2 and 0.4 (mol/dm3)


allow answer in the range 0.21 to 0.39 (mol/dm3)
1

(d)
allow ecf from part (c)

at 0.2 (mol/dm3) plant cells are absorbing water and at 0.4 (mol/dm3) they are
losing water
1

(so) same concentration is when there is no (net) gain or loss of water


or
(so) same concentration is when the stem is the same shape as the original
1

(e) measure the mass before and after to work out mass gain / loss
allow calculate change in mass
1

plot percentage gain / loss on graph and see where the line intercepts 0%
change
allow repeat using different concentrations until
percentage change in mass is zero
1
[12]

Common questions

Powered by AI

Active transport is identified when substances such as mineral ions move into plant root cells against their concentration gradient. This process requires energy, typically because the concentration of these ions is higher inside the cell than outside, necessitating movement opposite the natural diffusion gradient .

The weight change occurs due to osmotic activity. In drink A, where the sugar concentration in the drink was lower than in the bag, water moved into the tubing by osmosis to balance concentration gradients, causing the bag to gain weight. Thus, osmosis occurs due to differences in water potential or concentration gradients between the bag's contents and the surrounding liquid .

As the temperature increases, the rate of osmosis is expected to increase. This occurs because water molecules gain kinetic energy with rising temperatures, causing them to move faster, thereby increasing the rate at which they pass through the cell membranes. Therefore, higher temperatures will lead to more rapid osmosis until a point where protein denaturation may occur .

The waxy waterproof layer on the outer cells of the dandelion strip affects water absorption, causing the inner cells to swell more with water. This results in the curling of the stem due to differential osmosis rates within the strip. The outer layer prevents water from being absorbed as efficiently, demonstrating water impermeability's role in cellular osmosis .

The concentration of dandelion cells is between 0.2 and 0.4 mol/dm3 because at 0.2 mol/dm3 the cells are absorbing water, while at 0.4 mol/dm3 they are losing water. The concentration where there is no net water gain or loss, indicating an osmotic equilibrium, falls within this range .

To calculate the rate of water uptake by osmosis, the students should measure the initial mass or length of the potato chip, allow it to osmotically interact with water for a set period, and then measure the mass or length of the potato chip again after the experiment. The rate is determined by dividing the change in mass or length by the time taken. This method helps quantify the water uptake due to osmosis .

Qualitative results can be made quantitative by measuring initial and final masses to calculate mass changes, and plotting percentage gain or loss on a graph. Repeating experiments with different concentrations helps identify the intercept where osmotic balance is achieved, providing precise data about concentration equilibrium .

Uniform cutting of potato chips ensures that all samples have the same surface area, which affects the rate of osmosis due to equal exposure. Consistency can be ensured by using a tool like a cork borer or a potato chip cutter to achieve equal sizes. This minimizes variability in osmosis rates that could arise from differing chip dimensions .

Ion movement across cell membranes is influenced by their concentration gradients. Sodium ions, for example, will move into cells by diffusion due to a higher concentration outside. Conversely, potassium ions move into cells via active transport as their concentration is higher inside, requiring energy to be moved against their gradient .

The smallest change in mass occurs when the drink's sugar concentration is closest to that of the bag. This minimizes the concentration gradient, leading to slow diffusion or osmosis. Consequently, less water moves across the membrane, stabilizing the bag's mass .

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