Laboratory Report

Observing Osmosis
Feb 12, 2015
Name Amm, Nutnicha P.
Yuyu, Thanapond N.
Ball, Thanakrit C.
Parn, Napatsara S.
Lalah, Sasiwan E.
Introduction:
There are two main types of membrane transport, passive and active. Passive transport
do not require any enery (ATP) at all, in the other hand, active transport needs energy to
function. In this experiment we are oberving how osmosis works across the cell membrane.
Osmosis is a passive transport, which means it doesnt require energy. This experiment requires
a living pieces of potation and different solutions. We are going to observe how cells interact
with different solution with different concentration of solute.
Osmosis is the movement of water passing through permeable membrane from a
solution that has a lower solute concentration to one that has a higher solute concentration. The
concentraion of solute can be dived into 3 types, which are hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic.
Hypotonic is the solution that have higher concentration of solvent than solute. Hypertonic is the
solution that have higher concentration of solvent than solute. Isotonic is the solution that solute
and solvent have equal concentration.
Purpose
The purpose of doing this lab is to study about tonicity between solutions, and observe
how cells react and interact in solutions with different tonicity (hypotonic and hypertonic).
Hypothesis
If a piece of potato is left in distilled water, the potato will strat expanding because of the
tonicity differences between the solutions.
Material list
- 2 Beakers
- Electronic Balance
- Ruler
- Distilled water
- Concentrated salt water
- 2 pieces of potato
- Calculator
- Weighing paper
- Gloves
- Lab Coat
- Goggles
Procedure
Day 1
1. Collect materials

2. Use your ruler to find the height, length, and width of each potato
3. Calculate the volume of potato
4. Use the electronic balance to find the mass of potato. Lay down a piece of weighing paper and
set to zero.
5. Record descriptive observations in notebook about the potato prior to the experiment.
6. Fill beaker half way with distilled water. Put one of potatoes into the beaker. Set the beaker
aside for one day.
7. Fill 2nd beaker with concentrated salt solution half way. Put 2nd potato into that beaker. Set
beaker aside for one day.
Day 2
1. Collect beakers with potatoes.
2. Carefully remove the potatoes from the beakers
3. Repeat steps 2-5 from Day 1
4. Calculate the percent change in the size of each potato.
Data tables
Potato Volume
Potato 1
Dimensions

Initial: Before
Soaking

Potato 2
Final: After
Soaking in
Distilled water

Initial: Before
Soaking

Final: After
Soaking in Salt
Water

Length (cm)

2.5

2.15

2.1

Width (cm)

2.4

1.85

1.5

Height (cm)

1.2

1.5

1.2

1.1

Volume (cm3)

4.8

4.773

3.465

Potato Descriptions
Potato 1

Potato 2

Descriptive Observations Before Soaking in

Distilled Water :
Nothing Change
Cube shape
Yellow surface
Firm texture

Descriptive Observations Before Soaking in

Salt Water :
Nothing Change.
Cube shape
Yellow surface
Firm texture

Descriptive Observations After Soaking in

Distilled Water :
Bigger
More soft

Descriptive Observations After Soaking in

Salt Water :
Shrink
Harder

Potato Mass
Potato 1
Mass in grams

Potato 2

Initial: Before
Soaking

Potato Mass (g)

Final: After
Soaking in
Distilled water

4.94

6.94

Initial: Before
Soaking
4.96

Percent Changes
Potato

Potato 1

Potato 2

Percent Change in Height

25%

-8.33

Percent Change in Width

20%

-18.91%

Percent Change in Length

25%

-2.23%

Percent Change in Volume

87.5%

-27.4%

Percent Change in Mass

40.48%

-11.69%

(Parn,Lalah)Bar graph of results

Final: After
Soaking in Salt
Water
4.38

Analyzing results
1. What happened to the potato after being soaked in distilled water over night? Why? Be
descriptive and detailed in your answer. Use your knowledge of membrane transport.
Ans The potato1 in distilled water expand because the water is hypotonic(has less solute and
more water)is to the potato 1,while the potato 2 in salt water shrink because the salt water is
hypertonic(has more solute and less water).
2.What happened to the potato after being soaked in salt water over night? Why?
Ans The potato shrinks after a night in salted water,Because concentration in potato is lesser
that concentration in salted water. It means that salted water is hypertonic solution.
3.Define the terms diffusion, passive transport, active transport, and osmosis. In each of
your definitions, describe the role of a concentration gradient.
Ans The diffusion is move to higher concentration itself to lower concentration. Passive
transport is the movement of molecules across the cell membrance without the energy input.
Active transport is the movement of the molecules across the cell membrane using carrier

protein, channel protein or vesicles using ATP. Osmosis is the diffusion of water from high to low
concentration. Role of concentration gradient is to make fluid of both side of membrane have
equal concentration.
4.Biological membranes are said to be selectively permeable (or semi- permeable). What
does this term mean, and how does this affect the way that molecules are able to move
through cellular membranes?
Ans Selective Permeable is allow some substances to move across the membrane and
prevent movement of other molecules.It affects the molecules that go in and out. For example,
water can pass through phospholipids but protein can not go in or if it have to go in it will have to
find other way to go in the cell which may require energy.
5.Which type of molecule is more likely to quickly pass through a cellular membrane via
simple diffusion, polar or nonpolar? Why?
Ans non-polar moleclues are more likely to quickly pass through the cellular membrane via
simple diffusion such as Oxygen and Carbon dioxide. Becuase molecules are Small,
hydrophobic, and non-charged
(Ball)Conclusion
In our experiment, we were given two pieces of potato, distilled water and salt water. We
proceed by dunking a piece of potato in a beaker of distilled water and another in another
beaker of salt water. the potato pieces were then left in the beakers over night. We also kept a
data record of the size changes of the potato before and after we left potato in the solution. In
conclusion, the potato cube that were left in salt water for a night appears smaller in size and
softens. This is due to the fact that the salt water is hypertonic to the cells of the potato, causing
free water molecules inside the cells to leave and into the salt water solution. The potato cube
that were left in distilled water has the opposite effect. Potato in distilled water swells up and the
the texter got crispier and more plumped. Distilled water is hypotonic to the potato cells. Potato
cells has less free water than the distilled water, which causes water molecules in the distilled
water to enter to cells, swelling it up. We had some complications in our experiment, we were
originally going to use gummy bears as our dependent factor, but our gummy bears had too
much sugar and too less gelatin causing it to dissolve in the solutions. Another complication we
had was also measuring potato pieces, they were poorly cut and were quite crooked making it
hard for us to measure it properly.