Lab Report Osmosis
The effect of osmosis on artificial cells with different concentrations of sucrose
Alex McRae
Biology 120-902 Grand Valley State University 1 Campus Drive Allendale, MI 49401 mcraeal@mail.gvsu.edu
Abstract In this study, we tested the validity of osmosis in artificial animal cells. Osmosis is the diffusion of free water across a membrane. The purpose of the study was to calculate the rate of osmosis in artificial cells containing different concentrations of sucrose and water. We studied the rate of osmosis in artificial cells by creating five different dialysis bags with different concentrations of both sucrose and water and calculating the cumulative change in weight ever 10 minutes for 90 minutes. Our results for the artificial cells showed different concentrations moved from high to low concentrations- through hypotonic movement or hypertonic movement.
Introduction
The main purpose of this paper is to assess the rate of change with osmosis for different concentrations of sucrose in artificial cells. Since the human body is composed of trillions of cells that contain roughly 85% of water, makes osmosis a very important concept (Carmichael, Grabe and Wenger). The forces that affect osmosis are the concentrations of solutes surrounding the cell or inside of the cell. Water will then move across the cell membrane and create a balance of water between the cell and its environment (Reece et al. 133). In order to calculate the average rate of change for our artificial cells, we must understand tonicity as the ability of a nearby solution to cause a cell to lose or gain water, depending on its concentration of non-penetrating solutes relative to solutes inside the cell (Reece et al. 133). The dialysis bags used in this experiment have membranes which are selectively permeable, which only allows particles specifically small enough to pass through (Carmichael, Grabe and Wenger). In a hypotonic solution, water
Alex McRae
Biology 120-902 Grand Valley State University 1 Campus Drive Allendale, MI 49401 mcraeal@mail.gvsu.edu
Abstract In this study, we tested the validity of osmosis in artificial animal cells. Osmosis is the diffusion of free water across a membrane. The purpose of the study was to calculate the rate of osmosis in artificial cells containing different concentrations of sucrose and water. We studied the rate of osmosis in artificial cells by creating five different dialysis bags with different concentrations of both sucrose and water and calculating the cumulative change in weight ever 10 minutes for 90 minutes. Our results for the artificial cells showed different concentrations moved from high to low concentrations- through hypotonic movement or hypertonic movement.
Introduction
The main purpose of this paper is to assess the rate of change with osmosis for different concentrations of sucrose in artificial cells. Since the human body is composed of trillions of cells that contain roughly 85% of water, makes osmosis a very important concept (Carmichael, Grabe and Wenger). The forces that affect osmosis are the concentrations of solutes surrounding the cell or inside of the cell. Water will then move across the cell membrane and create a balance of water between the cell and its environment (Reece et al. 133). In order to calculate the average rate of change for our artificial cells, we must understand tonicity as the ability of a nearby solution to cause a cell to lose or gain water, depending on its concentration of non-penetrating solutes relative to solutes inside the cell (Reece et al. 133). The dialysis bags used in this experiment have membranes which are selectively permeable, which only allows particles specifically small enough to pass through (Carmichael, Grabe and Wenger). In a hypotonic solution, water
Cited: Carmichael, Jeff, Mark Grabe and Jonathan Wenger. Biology 150 Laboratory Review. University of North Dakota, n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. Patlak, Joseph and Chris Watters. Diffusion and Osmosis. University of Vermont and Middlebury College, 1997. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. Reece, Jane B., et al. Campbell Biology. San Francisco: Pearson Education Inc., 2005. Print.