Osmosis of Potato Cubes When Placed in Sucrose and Distilled Water

Osmosis of cells is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane, a cell membrane. Water moves from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration following its concentration gradient. This requires no energy. The net direction of water, which is water that is moving in and out of the cell, is driven by how much concentration (solute) that is surrounding the cell and how much is inside the cell. A cell that is isotonic has no net movement of water. A hypotonic cell is when the cell gains water and fills to bursting and a hypertonic cell is a loss of water and will shrivel. The cell is constantly trying to maintain homeostasis to have the same concentration inside the cell as well as outside the cell.

A. Object: By varying the potato cube environment and determining the weight change to the cube, the hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic environments for potato cells can be determined.

B. Hypothesis: If water is hypotonic, than a potato cell will gain mass when soaked in water. If water is hypertonic, than a potato cell will lose mass when soaked in water. If water is isotonic, than a potato cell will remain the same with no loss or gain of water.

C. Materials:

a. Large Potato

b. 5 100ml beaker

c. 1 250ml beaker

d. Glass rod

e. Small metric ruler

f. Pencil

g. Clock

h. 7mm cork borer

i. Petrie dish

j. Electronic balance

k. Razor blade

l. Paper towels

m. Distilled water

n. 3.5% sucrose

o. 7% sucrose

p. 10% sucrose

q. 14% sucrose

r. Notebook

D. Procedure:

1. Put 100ml of tap water into a 250ml beaker.

2. Obtained 5 50ml beaker and marked them 1 through 5.

3. In beaker 1 was 50ml of distilled water, beaker 2 was 50ml 3.5% sucrose, beaker 3 was 50ml of 7% sucrose, beaker 4 was 10%sucrose and beaker 5 was 14% sucrose.

4. Take large potato, a 7mm cork borer, razor blade as well as a small metric ruler and organized them together.

5. Took the 7mm cork borer and pushed it through the potato.

6. Took the metric ruler and measured out 2cm of the sliced potato and used the razor blade to cut