University of Balamand

Faculty of Sciences

Department of Biology

General Biology 1 Laboratory

BIOL 202

Experiment 5: Diffusion And Osmosis

Date: 11/11/2014

Submitted to: Ms. Pamela Melki

Submitted by: Stephanie Dahr A1311040

Rachelle Diab A1410019

Introduction:

The purpose of this experiment was to:

- examine the principles of solute and water movement in both artificial and
living systems
- observe diffusion of a solid in a liquid
- describe the effect of increased temperature on the movement of water
molecules
- examine diffusion of solutes across a semi-permeable membrane
- examine osmosis in living plant cells
* Plasma membrane: the plasma membrane is a semi-permeable membrane
that separates the interior of the cell from the external environment and
regulates the passage of substances (solute, and water) from the cell to the
external environment, and vice-versa. The plasma membrane is a bilayer
that is made of proteins (integral and peripheral), and lipids.
* Bilayer: a bilayer is a layer of molecule which has 2 hydrophobic tails facing
the inner part of the molecule, and a hydrophilic head which faces the
aqueous environment of the cell. In the plasma membrane, proteins of
various kinds are distributed throughout the lipid bilayer.
* Diffusion: exchange of particles between the cell and the external
environment through the semi-permeable membrane. Simple diffusion is
when the particles (non- polar molecules) move from the area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration.
Also, in diffusion, molecules move down the concentration gradient.
* Osmosis: the diffusion of water through the semi-permeable membrane.
* When it comes to solute, there are three types of solutions: hypotonic( less
than 0.9% of NaCl), hypertonic( more than 0.9% of NaCl), and isotonic(0.9%
of NaCl).
-If placed in a: -Hypotonic: Water moves into the cell.
-Hypertonic: Water moves outside the cell.
-Isotonic : No net movement.
* Dialysis: Movement of solute ( through water) through a selectively
permeable membrane. Dialysis depends on the size and shape of the solute.

* Endocytosis: the phenomenon where the cells takes in large particles and
ingests them. A type of endocytosis is phagocytosis. This is when a cell takes
in and digest an object.
* Membrane carrier proteins: - Facilitated diffusion (down the gradient, from
high to low concentration, and no energy required).
- Protein channels( passage of insoluble to
lipid molecules through the membrane, no energy required)
- Active transport( down and up the gradient,
and require energy), ex: sodium-potassium pump.

*Exercise 5.1: The mechanism of Diffusion:

* In this exercise we are supposed to see the jiggling of individual molecules.
* Materials: - Toothpick
- Dropper bottle of water
- Carmine dye powder
- Slide + Coverslip
- Compound Microscope
* Procedure:
1- We obtained a clean slide and a coverslip
2- We placed 2 drops of water on the slide
3- Then, we used a toothpick to remove a small amount of powder from the
mother sample, and then we tapped the toothpick on the slide (water part).
4- We placed the coverslip on top of the carmine dye filled water.
5-Then, we placed the specimen on the stage of the microscope and we
observed under low and high power objectives.
* Results and Discussion:

- On the low power objective:

We were not able to see the particles of neither the water nor the carmine
dye moving.

On the high power objective:

1- We can obviously see that the carmine dye powder is insoluble in water
(Tiny bits of the powder are suspended in the water.
2-We were able to see the red granules vibrating or " jiggling".

This movement is called Brownian movement. This movement is due to the

invisible particles of water that are vibrating, and colliding with each other
and the red granules.

*Post Lab Questions:

1- The carmine particles move randomly due to the bombardment of the
particles by the invisible" water molecules.
2- I cannot see the water molecules. However, I can tell that they are
moving. As long as the temperature is above zero, the molecules are always
on the move (constant motion).
3- The movement of carmine particles is due to bombardment by water
molecules.
4- Equilibrium is reached when the concentrations of the diffusing
substances are equal. The net movement of molecules will slow down as
equilibrium is reached.
5- The powder granules will stop moving at equilibrium. Thus, the net
diffusion will eventually come to an end.

6- A change in medium ( from water to gelatin) would cause the rate of

diffusion to slow down.

* Exercise 5.2 The effect of Temperature On Diffusion:

*In this experiment, we will see how the rate of diffusion is affected by the
temperature.
* Materials: -Two clean test tubes
-Test tube rack
-A dropper
-Forceps
-Potassium permanganate
-2 mother solutions ( 1 with hot water and the other with cold
water).
* Procedure:
1- We obtained 2 clean test tubes from a test tube rack
2- 1 filled about half the test tube with hot water and the other filled also
about half the other test tube with cold water ( using a dropper).
3- Using forceps, we both placed the same small amount of potassium
permanganate ( powder) at the same time in the test tubes, and we
observed the findings.
* Results:

In this picture, we can see that the potassium permanganate is mixed with
the hot water better than with the cold water. In the hot water we almost
have 1 color in all the tube, while in the cold water, the potassium
permanganate is taking more time to mix with all the regions of the water in
the tube.
Therefore, we can conclude that when the temperature augments, the rate
of diffusion augments.

* Post-Lab Questions:
7- After three minutes, the diffusion in the tube with hot water is the
greatest.
8- The temperature of the tube with greatest diffusion increases the
molecular motion of the water and potassium permanganate.
9- Yes, the tube with least diffusion will eventually reach the same state as
the tube with greatest diffusion because the temperature only makes the
rate of diffusion faster.

* Experiment 5.4 Osmosis: (Involves only water diffusion)

* we chose potato for this experiment because it gives the fastest results.
* In this experiment we are supposed to see a change in the size and shape
of the potato cylinders.
* Materials: - half a cut potato (to get 9 potato cylinders)
- 20% NaCl solution ( hypertonic)
- 0.9% NaCl solution ( isotonic)
- Distilled water (less than 0.9% NaCl; hypotonic)
- Forceps
- Ruler
- Paper towels
- Cork Borer
- Balance
- Petri dishes (with their cover)
*Procedure:

1- We cut 9 potato cylinders using the "Cork Borer" and placed them on a
Petri dish cover. Then, we evened them out using the knife and a ruler.
2- We took the measurements of each potato cylinder ( using a ruler) and
recorded them. Then, we took the cylinders to the balance and measured
each cylinder's weigh and recorded them. 3- We took 3 petri dishes and filled
each one of them with a solution ( hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic), and
we labeled them.
4- Then we placed 3 potato cylinders in each of the 3 petri dishes and
labeled their places.
5-We waited 20 minutes for them to equilibrate.
6- After 20 minutes of waiting, we threw away the solutions and we wiped
the cylinders with a paper towel, then, we took the weigh and length of each
one of them and recorded them.
Results and Discussion
Solution

Length (cm)
Before
After

20% NaCl
(hyperton
ic)
0.9%
NaCl
(Isotonic)
Distilled
Water
(Hypotoni
c)

Weight (g)
Before
0.62 0.61
13
68
0.60
67
0.61
33

0.59
86

After
0.61
09

0.56
98

0.59
29

0.53
54

0.59
41

0.63
46

0.60
87

0.67
54

0.62
29

0.59
75

0.68
71

0.71
23

0.68
09

Post-Lab Questions
13) changes in length of the potato cylinders are due to the moving of
water molecules into and out of the cell by osmosis, although each
molecule moves randomly, the water molecules as a whole move in
the net direction of into or out of the cell
14) 20% NaCl solution was hypertonic
15)in the isotonic solution there would be no net movement of the
water molecules because the solute concentration on the inside of the
potato is the same as that on the outside of the potato (0.9% NaCl)

16) distilled water

17) In ten percent NaCl the red blood cell will shrink and shrivel away
because water would leave the red blood and move out to the
(hypertonic) lower concentration of water area, however, in distilled
water, (hypotonic) the red blood cell will swell and eventually burst
because water molecules have a net movement into the cell
18) water will move out of tube A, water will have no net movement in
tube b, and water will move into tube C, this is because
Experiment 5.3 Membrane Permeability
Materials:

three test tubes

test tube rack

boiling water bath at 60 degrees celcius

dialysis tube

parafilm

starch solution

glucose solution

benedicts reagent

iodine solution

droppers

methods:
1)

first we obtained a test tube and filled it half way up with water

2)
then we obtained a strip of dialysis tubing and we tied a knot at one of
the ends of the dialysis tube, then pulled on the knot a little bit to make sure
that it was water tight,
3)
we then opened the other end of the dialysis tube and, using the
dropper, we filled half of the dialysis tube with starch solution and the, using
a different dropper other half with glucose solution

4)
we then closed the dialysis tubing and bent the closed part of the
dialysis tubing over the edge of the tubing
5)
we rinsed the dialysis tube and then we put the dialysis tube into the
test tube that was half filled with water, and then we bent the top of the
dialysis tube over the edge of the test tube and applied parafilm to the test
tube and securely wrapped and twisted the dialysis tube around the test
tube and secured it in the test tube
6)

we then filled up the rest of the test tube with distilled water

7)

we waited 20 minutes at for what we thought was diffusion to occur

8)
remove the parafilm and take out the dialysis tubing and separate the
liquid in the dialysis tube into two separate test tubes using a dropper
9)

label the first test tube one and the other test tube 2

10) do the same thing with the water, divide the liquid into two test tubes
and label the first one one, and the second one second,
11) test the number one solutions against benedicts reagent, by adding
benedicts reagent and putting the test tube into a water bath at 60 degrees
celsius for 10 minutes
12) test the number two test tubes with iodine solution (test for the
presence of starch)
13)

record observations and results

Post-lab questions
10) yes the glucose diffused out of the tubing , because the result for the
liquid in the test tube when tested against benedicts reagent we got a
mustard yellow precipitate
11) no the starch did not diffuse out of the test tube because the result for
the number two test tube gave a yellow solution on addition of iodine
solution
12) glucose molecules are smaller than starch molecules, which makes sense
because starch is a polymer of glucose
-

experiment 5.5- plasmolysis in a green plant leaf

materials:

live plant leaf

compound light microscope

20%nacl solution

the percentage of salt solution in the body cells is 0.9%

Methods
1) the microscope was prepared and all we had to do was observed

Results and Discussion

Post Lab Questions

19) water leaves the plant by process of osmosis, which is the movement of
water molecules from an area of high water concentration to an area of low
water concentration
20)the 20% salt solution is hypotonic to the solute concentration of the leaf
cells
21) put the leaf in a solution that has a lower (hypertonic) solute potential to
it and a higher water potential to it, so that the net movement of water
molecules is into the cell
22) in normal plant cells the chloroplasts can be found towards the edges of
the leaf, theyre pushed there by the turgidity of the vacuole however, in a
salt treated plant leaf the chloroplasts would have been pulled away from the
edges of the cell near the plasma membrane