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Lab One- Diffusion and Osmosis- Write Up of Analysis Qs

Frances Coronel- AP BIO- Bells 5/6


Part 1A: Analysis Questions
1. Which substance(s) are entering the bag and which are leaving the bag? What experimental evidence
supports your answer?
Water is going between both the beaker and bag to try to maintain equilibrium. Starch remains in bag
with no movement. Glucose is doing the same thing as water. IKI will enter bag. Because starch didnt move,
there was no color change to dark blue with the bag.
2. Explain the results you obtained. Include the concentration differences and membrane pore size in your
discussion.
Dialysis tubing will allow small molecules like water and monosaccharides like glucose to pass through,
but not disaccharides like sucrose, polysaccharides like starch, or proteins. The effect of size of molecules on
rate of diffusion make it so that the larger the molecule, the lower the rate of diffusion. As for concentration
differences, the molecules able to diffuse between both will go back and forth in order to maintain same
concentrations in the beaker and the bag for equilibrium, like with water and glucose.
3. Quantitative data uses numbers to measure observed changes. How could this experiment be modified so that
quantitative data could be collected to show that water diffused into the dialysis bag?
To modify, it is possible the test the following: mass of bag, volume, pressure, molarity, color change in
quantity, use of mass spectrometer.
4. Based on your observations, rank the following by relative size, beginning with the smallest: glucose
molecules, water molecules, IKI molecules, membrane pores, starch molecules.
Smallest to largest --> water, IKI, glucose, membrane pores, starch
5. What results would you expect if the experiment started with a glucose and IKI solution inside the bag and
only starch and water outside? Why?
Glucose and IKI would leave the bag. The starch would remain outisde and the water would enter the
bag. The water, glucose, and IKI would all diffuse to maintain same concentrations in the beaker and bag. When
the IKI and starch mix, they will form a dark blue color. As IKI is Lugols solution, its use is to test the presence
of starch and dark blue color change indicates this.
Part 1B: Analysis Questions
1. Explain the relationship between the change in mass and the molarity of sucrose within the dialysis bags.
There is a positive correlation, meaning that the higher the molarity of sucrose the higher the percent
change in mass within the dialysis bags.
2. Predict what would happen to the mass of each bag in this experiment if all the bags were placed in a 0.4 M
sucrose solution instead of diluted water. Explain your response.
The higher the solute concentration, the higher the rate of osmosis and the smaller the solute potential.
Therefore any bag with a sucrose molarity of less than .4 would lose mass and would gain mass if it was greater
than a .4 sucrose molarity. A bag with .4 sucrose molarity would result isotonic, meaning the concentrations
stayed the same.
3. Why did you calculate the % change in mass rather than simply using the change in mass?
When using percentages of masses, it allows the mass numbers to be compared accurately and results in
universal scale that can disregard the initial mass of the beaker, letting the lab in general easier to analyze.
4. See lab notebook.
5. The sucrose solution in the beaker would have been hypertonic to the distilled water in the bag (lower solute
concentration).
Part 1D: Analysis Questions
1. If a potato core is allowed to dehydrate by sitting in the open air, would the water potential of the potato
cells decrease or increase? Why?
The water potential of potato cells would decrease because the water would leave the potato cells,
decreasing water potential.
2. If a plant cell has a lower water potential than its surrounding environment and if pressure is equal to zero, is
the cell hypertonic (in terms of solute concentration) or hypotonic to its environment? Will the cell gain or
lose water? Explain your response.
If a plant cell has lower water potential than surrounding environment, its hypertonic to environment.
Solute concentration inside cell is higher so cell will eventually need water and go through osmosis to get it
quickly, or face death. So osmosis process in cell will speed up so cell can gain water and continue living.
3. In Figure 1.5 the beaker is open to the atmosphere. What is the pressure potential of the system?
Pressure potential would be 3.
4. In Figure 1.5 where is the greatest water potential? Beaker
5. Water will diffuse into the bag. Why? Because of higher concentration of water outside the bag then inside.
6. see lab notebook
7. see lab notebook
8. see lab notebook
9. What effect does adding solute have on the solute potential component of that solution? Why?
It will increase solute potential within solution. This effect causes water potential of that solution to
decrease, making cell need a higher water concentration.
10.
a. Which would have the higher concentration of water molecules? Distilled water.
b. Which would have the higher water potential? Distilled water.
c. What would happen to the RBC (red blood cell)? Why?
RBC would have water flowing and staying in its membranes. Since RBC has no protection of cell wall
or storage vacuole to maintain the overflow of water that resulted from a higher outside cell water concentration
gradient, it wont be able to maintain equilibrium. Too much water will cause RBC to swell or possibly burst.

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