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In order for cells to interact with their
environment, chemicals, including water, must be able to move across the
cell membrane and across the cell. Movement within the cell occurs by a process
known as diffusion. Molecules move across the cell membrane by a related
process known as osmosis. Diffusion is
the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region
of lower concentration. This happens because of random molecular motion.
Molecules move around randomly until there is an even mixture throughout the
container in which they are enclosed. The overall effect is that molecules
move "down" a concentration gradient from a region of high concentration to
a region of low concentration.
Osmosis is the movement of molecules down a concentration gradient and at the same time across a membrane. Cell membranes do not allow all molecules to cross them. They are said to be "selectively" or "differentially" permeable. Only certain molecules can cross the membrane into or out of a cell. For example, water can cross the membrane while sodium and chlorine ions (dissolved salt) cannot. If there is a concentration gradient across the membrane (if there is more salt and less water on one side than on the other), water will move across the membrane down the concentration gradient while the salt cannot. If there is more salt and less water inside a cell than outside, water will flow into the cell from the surrounding environment. This process is called osmosis.
When the environment outside a cell has a lower concentration of dissolved molecules than inside the cell, the solution is said to be hypotonic, and water will move from the solution into the cell. If the surrounding solution has a higher concentration of dissolved molecules than the cell, the solution is hypertonic. In that case, water will move from the cell out into the surrounding solution. An isotonic solution is one in which the concentration of dissolved molecules is the same inside and outside the cell, and there is no net movement of water across the membrane. When cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, water flows out of them and they shrink or shrivel up. When cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, water flows into them. If the cell does not have a cell wall or some other means of protecting the membrane, it will burst in a hypotonic solution.
In this lab you will observe diffusion
and osmosis. Then you will set up an experiment to test osmosis under
different conditions.
Title: A few words which give a sense of the lab.
Minus
1 point if no title
Introduction
defining diffusion and osmosis (do not copy my introduction!).
1 point
Data and analysis, Part1: Report your observations of diffusion and
calculations of the rate of diffusion in mm/min.
1 point
Data and analysis, Part 2: Report your observations of osmosis in potato
strips. Why did the observed changes occur?
1 point
Hypotheses, Part 3: Include your hypothesis for the initial observation of osmosis and
for your osmosis experiment.
2 points
Procedure, Part 3: Describe your experiment, including procedure, controls, and
independent and dependent variables.
1 point
Data, Part 3: Present your osmosis data in a data table. Include the data for
the control experiment.
1 point
Graph, Part 3: Graph your osmosis data. Both the control and your experiment may be
on the same graph.
2 points
Calculations, Part 3: Calculate the rates of osmosis for both your control and
your experiment (see directions above).
2 points
Conclusions, Part 3: Explain your results. Why did the
observed mass changes occur? What affects the rate of osmosis?
3 points
Metacognitive Analysis: What
contributed most to your learning in this lab? What was confusing or
didn't work in this lab, and why? What would you change?
1 point