Diffusion & Osmosis PreLab

Resource: AP Bio Lab: Diffusion & Osmosis Lab Pre-lab: Complete the following parts on a new sheet of paper prior to conducting the laboratory. Part 1: Title Do not develop a title until you have completed the pre-lab. Then develop a title for this laboratory that is in the form of a question. Part 2: Objectives (write them down) Before doing this lab you should understand: The mechanisms of diffusion and osmosis and their importance to cells; The effects of solute size and concentration gradients on diffusion across selectively permeable membranes; The effects of a selectively permeable membrane on diffusion and osmosis between two solutions separated by the membrane; The concept of water potential; The relationship between solute concentration and pressure potential and the water potential of a solution; and The concept of molarity and its relationship to osmotic concentration.

After doing this lab you should be able to: Measure the water potential of a solution in a controlled experiment; Determine the osmotic concentration of living tissue or an unknown solution from experimental data; Describe the effects of water gain or loss in animal and plant cells; and Relate osmotic potential to solute concentration.

Part 3: Pre-lab Questions (write the questions and the answers) 1) Why is the cell membrane said to be semipermeable? 2) Differentiate active transport and passive transport. 3) Explain the concept of diffusion. Use an example in your explanation. 4) Define osmosis. Use blood cells to explain the terms isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic, in terms of comparing solutions on either side of a semipermeable membrane. 5) Why is the concept of water potential used?

6) What formula is used for calculating solute potential (identify I, C, R, and T)? 7) Why does the water potential decrease when a solute is dissolved in water? 8) What is a rule for the net movement of water? 9) Situation: A potato cell is placed in pure water. Assigning a value for the solute potential of the potato as -9 bar, explain whether or not water will diffuse into the cell. 10) Situation: A potato cell (-9 bar) is placed in a cup of water that has a solute dissolved (-15 bar). Explain what will happen to the cell, why, and the term for this. Part 4: Procedure Read the procedures carefully. Write a flow chart (one box for each step) for the procedure.