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Overview:
In this lab, you will conduct an investigation to demonstrate the processes
of diffusion and osmosis and explain how diffusion is affected by various factors. Also to
demonstrate and measure water potential, and explain how water potential is affected by
pressure. Also to understand the effect of osmosis on living cells and calculate the water
potential of living cells.
Questions Part 1:
1. Which cube had the largest surface area? What problems could occur
with this cell?
2. Which cube was the most efficient at diffusion? Why?
3. Give an example of why diffusion is so important in living cells.
Part 2:Diffusion
In this part of the lab, you will use dialysis tubing to portray a plasma membrane
and see if certain substances go through it.
Procedure:
1. Pour 15 ml of glucose/starch solution into a graduated cylinder.
2. Obtain a piece of dialysis tubing from the container of water. Tie a tight knot
in one end of the tubing with dental floss or string. Make sure it wont leak.
3. Open the other end of the dialysis tubing by rubbing it between your fingers.
Pour the 15 ml of glucose/starch solution into the dialysis tubing.
Be careful not to clog the pores of the dialysis tubing. Keep contact to a
minimum.
4. Determine the initial glucose content in the tubing by dipping a glucose
indicator strip into the solution. Record the data in your data table.
5. Tie a knot in the open end of the tubing. Be sure to leave space for expansion.
6. Note the color of the solution in the bag. Record in your data table.
7. Fill a 250 ml beaker 2/3 full of distilled water. Add 4 to 5 ml of IKI to the
beaker. Note the color of the beaker solution and record in your data table.
8. Determine the initial glucose content in the beaker by dipping a glucose
indicator strip into the beaker. Record in your data table.
9. Blot dry your dialysis tubing with paper towel.
10. Completely immerse the dialysis tubing in your beaker for 30 minutes or until
there is a noticeable change in the color of the beaker or dialysis bag. If time
is pressed, ask your teacher if you can add IKI.
11. Remove the dialysis bag from the beaker. Record the final color of the bag
and the beaker solutions.
12. Determine the glucose content in the beaker and in the dialysis bag using the
strips. To test the solution in the bag, pour the solution into a plastic dish or
beaker and insert the strip.
13. Clean up your area and wash your hands.
Questions:
1. Which substances were entering the bag and which are leaving the bag? What
experimental evidence supports your answer?
2. Explain the results in all four boxes in your data table. Include concentration
differences or membrane pore size in your discussion.
3. How could this part of the lab be modified so that our data was quantitative?
4. Rank in order by relative size, beginning with the smallest: glucose molecules,
water molecules, IKI molecules, membrane pores, and starch molecules.
5. Which results would you expect if the experiment started with a glucose and IKI
solution inside the bag and only starch and water outside? Why?
Part 3: Osmosis
In this part of the lab you will use dialysis tubing again and see the effects of
placing them into different concentrations of sucrose solution.
Procedure:
1. Obtain 5 pieces of dialysis tubing from a container of water. Tie a tight knot
in one end of the tubing. Prevent any leaking.
2. Label the very ends of the dialysis tubing: 0M, 0.2M, 0.4M, 0.6M and 0.8M.
3. Obtain 25 ml of each sucrose solution and place into the appropriate dialysis
tubing.
4. Be sure to leave space for expansion and tie a knot to prevent a leakage.
5. Blot the bags dry with paper towel.
6. Weigh each bag and record the initial mass in your data table.
4. In Figure 1.5, the beaker is open to the atmosphere. What is the pressure potential
of the system?
5. In Figure 1.5, where is the greatest water potential, in the beaker or in the dialysis
bag?
6. So, water will diffuse __________ the bag. Why?
7. What effect does adding solute have on the solute potential component of that
solution? Why?
8. Consider what would happen to a red blood cell (RBC) placed in distilled water:
a. Which would have the higher concentration of water molecules, Distilled
water or RBC?
b. Which would have the higher water potential, distilled water or RBC?
c. What would happen to the red blood cells?