The Effect of Different Sucrose Concentrations on Osmosis in Semi-Permeable Membranes

The Effect of Different Sucrose Concentrations on Osmosis in Semi-Permeable Membranes

Introduction

        Osmosis is the passage of water from a region of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration, while passing through a semi-permeable membrane (Osmosis). Osmosis was created using three different solutions. The solutions used were a hypertonic solution, a hypotonic solution, and an isotonic solution. A hypertonic solution is a solution where the concentration is greater on the outside of the cell than in the inside. A hypotonic solution is the opposite of a hypertonic solution, which is a solution that has a greater concentration inside the cell than on the outside. The last solution, isotonic, has a solution that is the same as the solute that it is in. Semi-permeable membranes are very thin layers of material which allow some things to pass through them but prevent other things from passing through (Osmosis). Other terms used to refer to these membranes are “selectively permeable membrane”, “partially permeable membrane”, or “differentially permeable membrane” (By).

        The objective of this experiment was to justify and prove that osmosis could be achieved through non-living materials and if the solutions in the semi-permeable membranes would gain weight or lose weight based on the percentage of the sucrose solution in the container they were soaking in. The hypotheses were simple to tell because of the concentration percentage of the solutions inside the semi-permeable membranes and the solutions on the outside of the semi-permeable cell. All four membranes had the same amount of solution in them, which was ten milliliters, but the membranes had different percentages of solutions that were different in each membrane. The hypothesis and prediction for A was said to shrink down and lose weight because if the membrane had a lower sucrose concentration inside of the membrane, which was one percent, and a higher sucrose concentration on the outside, which was ten percent; the higher solution on the outside will pull the solution from inside of the membrane making that a Hypertonic solution. The hypothesis and prediction for B was said that nothing would happen. The reason being is because the solution inside the membrane, one percent, and the solution on the outside of the membrane, also one percent, are the same. So therefore, if the semi-permeable membrane has a one percent sucrose solution in it, and is also in a one percent sucrose solution, then the membrane should not gain or lose weight because there is no high or low sucrose solution counteracting each other, making this an isotonic solution.  The hypothesis for bag C and D was to gain weight and gain water. This was decided because both membranes had a higher sucrose solution inside, than on the outside. The solution in bag C was ten percent sucrose, the solution in bag D was twenty-five percent, and the solution on the outside of these membranes was one percent. This would help say that if the membranes have a higher sucrose concentration in them and a lower sucrose concentration on the outside, then the two membranes that have the higher sucrose solutions in them, would pull the lower sucrose concentration in within the membrane, causing them to gain water, and to also gain weight. Bag B and bag C would be hypotonic solutions because there was a greater concentration inside the membrane than on the outside.