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4.3: Osmosis

Anatomy and Physiology13 CardsCreated 3 months ago

Osmosis is the passive movement of water from high to low water potential through a selectively permeable membrane. It’s affected by solute concentration, and placing cells in hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic solutions alters their water content. Water potential in potato cells can be investigated using a sucrose dilution experiment and analysed via percentage mass change and calibration curves.

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Define osmosis

The movement of water from an area where it has a higher water potential to an area where it has a lower water potential through a selectively-permeable membrane

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Key Terms

Term
Definition

Define osmosis

The movement of water from an area where it has a higher water potential to an area where it has a lower water potential through a selectively-perm...

What is the water potential of pure water?

0

What happens to water potential when you add a solute

Water potential gets more negative

What would happen if cells were placed in a hypertonic solution?

Lower water potential than the cells
Water moves out of cells by osmosis
Cell shrinks

What would happen if cells were placed in a hypotonic solution?

Higher water potential than cells
Water moves into cells by osmosis
Cell swells/bursts

What would happen if cells were placed in a isotonic solution

Same water potential as cells
No osmosis
Nothing happens to cell

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4.3: Osmosis
TermDefinition

Define osmosis

The movement of water from an area where it has a higher water potential to an area where it has a lower water potential through a selectively-permeable membrane

What is the water potential of pure water?

0

What happens to water potential when you add a solute

Water potential gets more negative

What would happen if cells were placed in a hypertonic solution?

Lower water potential than the cells
Water moves out of cells by osmosis
Cell shrinks

What would happen if cells were placed in a hypotonic solution?

Higher water potential than cells
Water moves into cells by osmosis
Cell swells/bursts

What would happen if cells were placed in a isotonic solution

Same water potential as cells
No osmosis
Nothing happens to cell

Describe a method which could be used to investigate the water potential of potato cells

  1. Make up six boiling tubes with different concentrations of sucrose solution

  2. Control the temp by placing all the tubes in a water bath at 30 degrees

  3. Cut six identical cylinders from the potato using a borer.Cut all of the cylinders to the same length, e.g. 2cm, using a ruler, scalpel and white tile.

  4. Blot the potato chips dry with a paper towel, but do not squeeze the chips.

  5. Place each potato chip onto a labelled paper towel which is numbered to indicate which sucrose solution each potato chip will be placed in.

  6. Measure and record these initial masses of each potato chip.

  7. Place each potato into its own boiling tube and start the stop clock. After 20 minutes, remove the chips from the boiling tubes and blot dry.

  8. Reweigh each chip and record the final masses.

  9. Calculate the change in mass and then calculate the percentage change in mass.

  10. Plot a graph of your percentage change in mass and use this to determine the concentration of sucrose which has the

What equation is used to work out the volume of initial solution needed for dilutions

v1=m2 x v2÷m1
m1=conc of initial solution
m2=conc you want
v1= volume of initial solution
v2=volume of final solution

Why is it essential that the temperature is controlled?

Temperature affects the rate of osmosis because temperature affects kinetic energy.

Why do the potato chips have to be the same size and have the same surface area?

Surface area affects the rate of diffusion for example the larger the surface area the faster the rate of diffusion

Why do the potato chips have to be blotted dry?

To remove any excess moisture that could alter the initial mass of the potato chips

Why does change have to be calculated as a percentage?

To standardise for variation in initial masses allowing you to compare the data

How would you determine the concentration of sucrose that has the same water potential of potato cells?

Use a calibration curve
Use a conversion table