ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
INTEGRATED SCHOOL
Angeles City
Francis Lourd Yvan M. Quiambao
Name: ___________________________________ 11- St. Jude
Section: _________________ 11/23/2020
Date: ____________
Midterm Performance Task: Observing Osmosis in Potatoes
Ever cut up some apples or potato slices just to see them turn funky colors and not be as fresh as they
could be? What can you do to protect these fruits and vegetables from this happening? What will keep
potatoes (or other veggie) fresher: soaking it in regular water or salt water?
These questions can be explained by understanding the concept of osmosis. Osmosis is a property of
matter that deals with diffusion; a spreading out of particles from high concentration to low concentration
(Basically, more stuff balances out with less stuff… like spraying a bunch of perfume in one place? Notice how
it travels across the room?). However, instead of stuff in air, osmosis describes the motion of water going
through something. This simple at home experiment will further make you understand the process of osmosis.
I. Objectives
At the end of the laboratory activity, the learners shall be able to:
determine the effects of NaCl solution and distilled H 2O on the potatoes in terms of
color, smell, flexibility and size;
investigate the factors which affect osmosis in potatoes.
II. Materials
Medium sized potato (1) Salt
Distilled water (like Wilkin’s, Absolute etc.) Ruler
Drinking glasses, medium size, same size (2)
III. Procedures
A. Distilled H2O set-up and procedure (Set-up A)
Fill the drinking glass with distilled water about ¾ full.
Slice up a potato into French fry-like pieces. Make at
least six (6) slices that are equal in sizes (use your
ruler). Use the three (3) slices for this set-up, and the
other three for the set-up B.
Record your initial observations on the pieces in
terms of color, smell, flexibility (by snapping) and
size (see tables below).
For the size, measure the initial height and weight of
the sliced potatoes in centimeters (cm). Get the
average height and width of the potato slices.
Place the three (3) potatoes in the drinking glass
with distilled H2O.
Take photos of the sliced potatoes and the set-up before and after (overnight).
Leave overnight. Record observations.
B. NaCl solution set-up and procedure
Fill the drinking glass with distilled water about ¾ full. Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt, and
stir it in.
Record your initial observations on the three (3) slices of potatoes in terms of color,
smell, flexibility (by snapping) and size (see the table below).
For the size, measure the initial height and weight of the sliced potatoes in centimeters
(cm). Get the average height and width of the potato slices.
Place the three (3) potatoes in the drinking glass with salt.
Take photos of sliced potatoes and the set-up before and after (overnight).
Leave overnight. Record observations.
IV. Photos
Potatoes immersed in Distilled H2O Potatoes immersed in NaCl Solution
Before (initial): Before (initial):
After (overnight): After (overnight):
V. Data and Observations
Table 1. Average Height of the Potato Slices
Height (centimeters)
Set-up Initial Potato Size (Ave) Overnight (Ave)
A (Distilled H2O) 7.5 cm 8.0 cm
B (NaCl Solution) 7.5 cm 7.0 cm
Table 2. Average Width of the Potato Slices
Width (centimeters)
Set-up Initial Potato Size Overnight
A (Distilled H2O) 1.0 cm 1.2 cm
B (NaCl Solution) 1.0 cm 1.0 cm
Table 3. Color, Smell and Flexibility
Attributes A (Distilled H2O) B (NaCl Solution)
Initial (Before) Overnight (After) Initial (Before) Overnight (After)
Color
Light brownish
Light yellow Light yellow Light yellow
yellow
Smell
More distinct potato
Potato (like fries) Odorless Potato (like fries)
smell (like fries)
Flexibility
Bendable and
Stiff and firm Stiff and firm Stiff and firm
squishy
VI. Guide Questions
1. What happened to the potatoes that were immersed in the distilled H 2O overnight? If there are
changes, explain your answer.
- The potato slices immersed in distilled H2O absorbed the water from its sustained
environment. After 10 hours underwater, the slices showed changes in size as it grew
longer, and in odor as it lost its potato smell. However, there were no significant changes
in terms of flexibility and in color.
2. What happened to the potatoes that were immersed in the NaCl solution overnight? If there are
changes, explain your answer.
- The potato slices immersed in the NaCl solution released water to maintain equilibrium
with its saturated environment. Initially, the potato slices floated in the solution due to the
high concentration of salt. After 10 hours, the slices showed changes in size as it shrunk,
in color as it became darker, and in odor as its smell gave a more distinct potato smell.
Also, the slices exhibited more flexibility and softness.
3. Explain thoroughly what happens to a cell that is placed in a hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic
solution/environment.
- Naturally, a cell maintains a state of equilibrium with its environment. Once placed in a
hypertonic solution, such as a saturated salt solution, the cell will release water content
to balance the concentration and therefore, shrinks. On the other hand, cells placed in a
diluted or hypotonic solution tend to absorb water and grow to maintain equilibrium. If a
cell is placed in an isotonic solution, there will still be transport and movement of
solvent molecules, but it will lead to no net changes or displacement, therefore, no
changes in size.
4. Answer the questions below. Answer must contain concepts and applications of osmosis and
tonicity.
A. When stranded at a sea, many people try to drink the sea water to stay hydrated.
Explain why this is not a viable option and why it is dangerous for humans.
- Drinking seawater is not a viable option nor a solution to dehydration, if anything,
it only makes things worse. Seawater is a hypotonic mixture of different materials
but mainly, salt. Cells exposed to hypotonic solutions release water to maintain
equilibrium with its environment. Therefore, drinking seawater would cause your
cells to shrink and release more water thus, causing you a higher risk of
dehydration.
B. In icy conditions, NaCl is often applied to roads to melt the ice. After the snow melts,
you will notice that the grass along the side of the road is dead. Explain what caused
the death of the grass.
- NaCl, when applied to roads, do help melt the ice. However, when salt
accumulates in the soil, it creates an imbalance in minerals. Usually, plants would
lower water their levels of water content to maintain balance. This causes plant
cells to shrink and become weak and frail. In addition, the accumulation of salt also
creates an unhealthy and toxic level of minerals for the plant causing damage to
cells. This makes grass die when roads are salted in icy conditions.