Osmosis Lab Report

Ethan Rihn

Honors Biology, Period 5

Cardinal Wurel North Catholic

4/27/18
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Introduction:

Cell Transport is the transportation and movement of materials through the cell membrane.

The process can occur in two ways, through active transport or passive transport, that both involve

the process of diffusion. Diffusion is the movement of particles from a high concentration to a low

concentration until equilibrium is attained. Active transport moves particles from a low

concentration to high concentration across a cell membrane but uses energy because the process is

resisting the natural flow of diffusion (McMahon, 2018). While passive transport moves particles

from a high concentration to a low concentration across the cell membrane without using energy.

There are different types of passive transport and this lab focuses on a particular type known as

Osmosis. Osmosis is the process in which water passes through a semipermeable membrane,

moving from a high concentration of pure water to a low concentration of pure water to reach

equilibrium (Vasanth, 2018). The semipermeable membrane is the membrane of a cell that is

selectively permeable, meaning it is a membrane that permits certain types of particles to move

through but prevents others from entering. The cell membrane does this in osmosis by allowing the

water to diffuse through the membrane but not the solute that is present in the water. The amount of

solute in a solution with pure water determines the concentration of pure water. (OpenStax , 2015)

So, if there is high amount of solute then there is a low concentration of pure water but if there is a

low amount of solutes then there is high concentration of pure water. It is important to understand

the process of osmosis because it can be applied in real-world situations.

In osmosis, depending on what type of concentration of water and if it is on the inside or

outside of the cell membrane then three different osmotic environments can be created for a cell to

undergo osmosis. The first is when the high concentration of water in on the outside of the cell

membrane and the low concentration of water is inside the cell membrane, this is known as a
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hypotonic environment (OpenStax , 2015). When a cell is placed in a hypotonic environment then

osmosis will take place and the water will rush in through the cell membrane to reach equilibrium.

However, the high quantities of water entering the cell can cause the cell membrane to burst due to

increased pressure against the cell membrane. The second environment is when the low

concentration of water in on the outside of the cell membrane and the high concentration of water is

inside the cell membrane, this is known as a hypertonic environment (OpenStax , 2015). When a

cell is placed into a hypertonic environment, then osmosis commences and the high concentration of

water inside the cell pours out of the cell membrane to reach equilibrium. Consequently though, this

causes the cell to shrink which puts the cell into a bad condition. The last environment is when on

both sides of the cell membrane have a balanced concentration of water, this is known as an isotonic

environment (McMahon, 2018). In an isotonic environment, there is little movement of water

through the cell membrane but there is still some since the transport protein that allows water to

pass through cell, known as an aquaporin, is always open. It is important to understand the process

of osmosis because it can be applied in real-world situations. For example, in a grocery store, water

is sprayed on to produce because it will put the produce into a hypotonic environment which allows

it remain fresh in the store.

This experiment involves replicating a cell’s membrane for the purpose placing a pseudo-

cell, or simulated cell, in osmotic environments. Dialysis tubing will be used for that purpose since

it contains qualities that will allow it to act like a cell membrane. Primarily, it’s attribute of being

semipermeable to water just as a cell membrane. The setup of this experiment is separated into two

separate parts. Part One involves five beakers to be filled with fluid to help create osmotic

environments in which the simulated cell will be placed into. The first four beakers will contain

water for the simulated cell to be placed in while the fifth beaker will contain a 60% glucose

solution. Beaker One will have a simulated cell fill with water and this will be to create an isotonic
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environment. Beaker Two’s simulated cell will be filled with a 20% glucose solution and this will

create a hypotonic environment for the simulated cell. Beaker Three’s simulated cell will contain a

40% glucose solution which will also place the cell in a hypotonic environment but it is a more

extreme environment since the cell has even less pure water than beaker two. Beaker Four’s

simulated cell will be filled with a 60% glucose solution which will also place the simulated cell

into a hypotonic environment but even in an even more extreme environment than beaker three

since there is even less pure water inside the simulated cell. Beaker Five will have two simulated

cells placed inside. The first simulated cell will contain water and then when placed inside will the

simulated cell will be placed in a hypertonic environment since there is more pure water inside than

outside the simulated cell. The second simulated cell will be filled with an 80% glucose solution

which will thus be in a hypotonic environment since there is 20% more pure water outside the

simulated cell than inside. Once all these beakers and simulated cells are set up then simulated cells

will be placed in their correct beaker for a specific interval of time. After that time has passed, the

simulated cells’ mass will be recorded to determine the change in mass which will also reflect the

rate of osmosis after every interval. Part Two of this experiment involves filling a beaker with an

iodine solution then placing a simulated cell, the contains a starch solution, into the beaker. The

starch solution is inside the simulated cell because when iodine mixes with starch then there is a

purple substance created so if the iodine were diffuse inside to the starch solution then it could be

concluded that the iodine is permeable to the simulated cell membrane.

Overall this experiment is purposed to observe the varying effects of osmosis in different osmotic

environments. That is why there are several hypotonic environments set up that vary in how low the

concentration of water is inside the pseudo-cell. That is also why there is an isotonic environment,

for the purpose of seeing how the rate of osmosis acts. It is also the reason for the hypertonic

environment that is constructed, for the purpose of observing the behavior of osmosis while in that
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environment. Another purpose for this experiment is to observe how the rate of osmosis changes as

the simulated cell grows closer to equilibrium. That is why the mass of each simulated cell is

recorded after each interval, so the change in mass can be calculated which will reflect rate of

osmosis as the change in mass decreases or increases. For that purpose, as well, there have been

multiple hypotonic environments set up to observe how the rate of osmosis changes as it is reaching

equilibrium when there are varying low concentrations of water inside the pseudo-cell. Lastly the

purpose for Part Two is to reveal how permeable a cell membrane is since it semipermeable. That is

why the starch solution is inside the pseudo-cell because there are larger molecules the solution than

the exterior iodine solution. The purpose would be to test if the simulated cell membrane would

allow the large starch molecules to diffuse or the smaller iodine solution particles.

Throughout Part One, the only variable that is changed is the osmotic environments and so

this variable is independent of the others. This is to find the changes in mass that will depend on the

osmotic environments that have been changed. The other aspects of Part One will remain constant

throughout the experiment. This includes the temperature of all solutions and the water, the amount

of water contained in each beaker, the time intervals between weighing the pseudo-cells, the method

of sealing the dialysis tubing, the method of pouring each solution into the dialysis tubing, the way

of drying the dialysis tubing, and the method of recording and calculating each change in mass. The

control group for Part One is the isotonic environment that is construct in beaker one. While the

experimental group are the osmotic environments created in beakers two through five.

The hypothesis for beaker one was that if a simulated cell filled with 5mL of distilled water

was placed into a 200mL beaker of distilled water, then the simulated cell will have a negligible

change in mass. The hypothesis for beaker two was that if a simulated cell filled with 5mL of a 20%

glucose solution was placed into a 200mL beaker of water, then there will be a slight increase in
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mass. The hypothesis for beaker three was that if a simulated cell filled with 5mL of 40% glucose

solution was placed into a 200mL beaker of water, then there would be a noticeable increase in

mass. The hypothesis for beaker four was that if a simulated cell filled with 5mL of 60% glucose

solution was placed into a 200mL beaker of water, then there will be a dramatic increase in water.

The hypothesis for beaker five was that if a simulated cell was filled with 5mL of water was placed

into a 200mL beaker of 60% glucose, then then water will have a dramatic decrease in mass. The

second hypothesis for beaker five was that if a simulated cell filled with 5mL of 80% glucose

solution was placed into a 200mL beaker of 60% glucose solution, then it will experience an equal

decrease in mass as beaker two.

Throughout Part Two, the only continuously altered variable is the location of the starch because it

will force the change in color to be dependent on it. However, the other variables will remain

constant, including the temperature of both solutions, the method of sealing the dialysis tubing, the

method of pouring each solution into the dialysis tubing, the way of drying the dialysis tubing, the

time allotted for osmosis, amount of iodine in iodine solution, type of equipment used, and the

amount of starch in the starch solution. Part Two does not contain a control group but only an

experimental group with two pseudo-cells, one containing starch and the other an iodine solution,

that are tested for their permeability. The final hypothesis was that if an iodine solution is placed

inside or outside of a simulated cell, with the starch on the reverse side, then the iodine will diffuse

towards the starch solution.

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Materials:

• String • 20% Glucose Solution • 7 dialysis tubes

• Graduated Cylinder • 40% Glucose Solution • 6 200ml beakers

• Pipet • 60% Glucose Solution • Water

• Starch Solution • 80% Glucose Solution • Electronic Balance

• Iodine • Paper Towels • Weigh Boat

• Pen & Paper • Stopwatch Timer

Procedures:

Part 1:

Step 1. Gather 6 dialysis tubes that have already been sodden in water. For each dialysis tube, fold

one end horizontally by 1 cm. Then fold that previously folded area in vertically in half. Then

horizontally fold the previously vertically folded area in half again. Use a piece of string to tie a

double knot around the folded end of the dialysis tube to prevent leaks.

Step 2. Use a pipet to fill a graduated cylinder with 5 ml of the selected fluid. Then pour the 5 ml of

fluid into the dialysis tube that has one end tied off. After the fluid is poured in then repeat Step 1

for the opposite, untied end of the dialysis tube. Complete this step for every glucose solution, but

complete this step for water twice so there will be a total of six closed off dialysis tubes with fluid

inside.

Step 3. Dry off the 6 dialysis tubes for any excess fluids on the outside. Place weigh boat on

electronic balance and calibrate the weight of the weigh boat to be zero. Respectively, place each
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dialysis tube on the weigh boat, then place the weigh boat on the electronic balance. Record initial

mass of dialysis tube. Remember to complete this step for each dialysis tube.

Step 3. Fill 4 beakers to 200ml of water. Fill a 5th beaker with 200 ml of 60% glucose solution.

Have all beakers labeled or ordered. The 5th beaker will contain a dialysis tube filled with water and

a dialysis tube filled with 80% glucose solution. Then remaining beakers will have one of the

remaining dialysis tubes until all 4 dialysis tubes are used. Simultaneously place each dialysis tubes

in their assigned beaker as mentioned. Activate the stopwatch timer when placing the dialysis tubes

into the beakers.

Step 4. At the end of each 3, 6, 9 minute interval, remove the dialysis tubes from their beakers, and

stop the timer and dry off any water on the outside. Respectively weigh each dialysis tube on an

electronic balance while on a weigh boat. Record the masses and make sure not to mix the dialysis

tubes during this process. Then simultaneously place each dialysis tubes in their assigned beaker

and reactivate the stopwatch timer.

Step 5. With all the recorded masses then calculate the mass change from each interval of time.

Part 2:

Step 1. Gather 1 dialysis tube and fold one end horizontally by 1 cm. Then fold that previously

folded area in vertically in half. Then horizontally fold the previously vertically folded area in half

again. Use a piece of string to tie a double knot around the folded end of the dialysis tube to prevent

leaks. Cut off excess strong that is 2 cm from the ends.

Step 2. Use a pipet to fill a graduated cylinder with 5 ml of starch solution. Then pour the 5 ml of

starch solution into the dialysis tube. After the starch solution is poured in then repeat Step 1 for the

opposite, untied end of the dialysis tube.

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Step 3. Rinse the fully tied off dialysis tube with water then dry it off with paper towels and set it

safely to the side somewhere.

Step 4. Fill up a 200ml beaker with water then add 8 drops of Iodine. Then take the starch-filled

dialysis tube and place it into the iodine-water beaker. Record the initial color of the beaker’s fluid

and the starch-filled dialysis tube’s color.

Step 5. Wait for a day then remove the starch-filled dialysis tube and dry it off. Record any change

in color in the beaker or the starch-filled dialysis tube. (Diffusion Through Cell Membranes)

Results:

The results for Part One were measured in the change in mass between three 3-minute

intervals for a total of 9 minutes. Starting at 0 minutes there was no change in mass for each

simulated cell tested in their respective environments. The data shown in Figure 1: Mass vs. Time

and Table 1: Change in Mass over Time begin from a zero change in mass but as time goes on then

the change in mass is cumulative. The title ‘Water in Water’ means a simulated cell filled with

water was placed into water. For Water in Water, there was a small increase of .2 milligrams in the

change in mass in the first 3-minute interval and a .08 milligram increase in the second 3-minute

interval, then a slight decrease by .04 milligrams in the change in mass in the third 3-minute

interval. The simulated cell, filled with 20% glucose solution, placed in water had an increase in its

change in mass after each 3-minute interval that increased about .2 milligrams, except for the first

3-minute interval where there was a .3 milligram increase, as can be seen in Table 1: Change in

Mass over Time. The simulated cell, filled with 40% glucose solution, placed in water had an

increased in its change in mass by an average of .4 milligrams after the first 3-minute interval and

another .4 milligrams increase after the second 3-minute interval. However, after the third 3-minute

interval the rate of the change in mass did slow to only an increase of .3 milligrams, as can be seen
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in Table 1: Change in Mass over Time. The simulated cell, filled with 60% glucose solution, placed

in water had an increase in mass of about .5 milligrams after the first 3-minute interval and another

.5 milligram increase after the second 3-minute interval. However, the rate of the change in mass

did slow to only a .4 milligram increase as can be seen in the change in slope for this particular

series in Figure 1: Mass vs. Time. The simulated cell, filled with water, placed in a 60% glucose

solution had erratic mass decreases between each 3-minute interval. This can be seen in Table 1:

Change in Mass over Time where the change in mass is doubled, to decrease by .38 milligrams, in

the second 3-minute interval, while the first 3-minut interval only decreased by .15 milligrams, but

in the third 3-minute interval the rate of the decreasing change in mass also decreased to a slower

rate, which was only a .25 milligram decrease, than in the second 3-minute interval. The simulated

cell, filled with an 80% glucose solution, that was placed in a 60% glucose solution had an increase

change in mass of .2 milligrams for the first 3-minute interval but for the second and third 3-minute

interval the rate of the change in mass decreased to an average increase of .07 milligrams per each

3-minute interval.

Table 1: Change in Mass over Time

Time Water in Water 20 % in Water 40% in Water 60% in Water Water in 60% 80% in 60%
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 0.208 0.317 0.408 0.567 -0.15 0.241
6 0.291 0.534 0.8 1.009 -0.533 0.316
9 0.249 0.701 1.108 1.409 -0.783 0.399
The data collected above came from an average of multiple trials in which the change in mass was recorded.
Initially the mass after each interval was recorded but to verify that the data was not tainted, due to differences in
initial mass, then the change in mass was calculated and averaged since it would not be altered by the differences
in initial mass which varied for every trial. The time above is measured in minutes and the change in mass is
measured in milligrams.
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Figure 1: Mass vs. Time

The data above shows the change in mass over time for each individual simulated cell. The key shows the solution inside the
simulated cell and the solution outside of simulated cell. Each series has the same starting point since at 0 minutes no mass
could have been gained or lost. As time increases the rate of gaining or losing mass begin to decrease, which can be seen in the
changes in slope between each 3-minute interval.

The results for Part Two were expressed through the observation of the change in color in the setup.

The simulated cell filled with a starch solution had an initial tan color and the exterior iodine

solution had an initial yellow color. After waiting a day, the starch solution, inside the simulated

cell, had turned blue and the exterior iodine solution’s color had become a lighter yellow color.

Discussion:

The results from Part One show the certain simulated cells had gained mass while others had lost

mass. This is because of the type of osmotic environment that each simulated cell was placed into.

The 20% in water, 40% in water, 60% in water, and 80% in 60% glucose solution were all

constructed hypotonic environments which means that water would flow into the simulated cell to

reach equilibrium. This is why in each of those series that there is an increase in mass which can be

seen in Figure 1: Mass vs. Time. The contrary happened with ‘water in 60%’ because that was a

hypertonic environment created so the water would have left the simulated cell to reach equilibrium
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which would explain the loss in mass. The Part One results also show that through each 3-minute

interval that the rate of the change in mass due to osmosis began to slow. This was because the

solution inside and outside the simulated cell were getting closer to equilibrium and so the rate of

osmosis slowed down. Also, the Part One results showed that an environment with a higher

concentration gradient, the natural movement of particles from a high to low concentration, had an

increased rate of osmosis compared to an environment with a low concentration gradient. The rate

of osmosis increases because with a higher concentration gradient then there is larger imbalance

between the low concentration and high concentration so rate of osmosis increases in order to reach

equilibrium.

In the results of Part One, the osmotic environment for 20% glucose solution simulated cell placed

in water should have had similar results to the 80% glucose solution simulated cell placed in a 60%

glucose solution because both setups only have an imbalance of 20% more pure water inside the

simulated cell. However, the results were different since the 20% glucose solution simulated cell

had gained mass at an average of .2 milligrams per 3-minute interval while the 80% glucose

solution simulated cell had gain around .2 milligrams for the first 3-minute interval but then it only

gained around .07 milligrams. This difference in results could have been caused by a multitude of

factors. However, the most likely reason is because of the interference of osmosis due to the water

simulated cell placed with the 80% glucose solution simulated cell. This situation, even though it is

seen to be two different osmotic environments, was actually one system with two simulated cells

struggling to reach equilibrium with the exterior fluid. Since the water had a greater concentration

gradient than the 80% glucose solution then rate of osmosis was slowed in the 80% glucose solution

so the water could diffuse through the rest of the system to reach equilibrium.
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In Part Two, the inside of the simulated cell that contained starch had turned blue after a day. This is

due to the iodine diffusing through the pseudo-cell membrane of the simulated cell. Also, as stated

before, when iodine mixes with starch then it reacts to form a blue substance. So, from this

information it can be concluded that the dialysis tubing, which acted as a cell membrane, is

permeable to iodine since the iodine was able to react with the starch.

While reviewing this experiment, a source of error would be the amount of time per interval was too

short. If the time was longer or more intervals were added then the rate of osmosis could be more

clearly seen. Another source of error would be the method of sealing the dialysis tubing. This is

because the process involves using a strong which consequently absorbs water which in turn causes

the weighing process to be inaccurate at times. Another source of error would be adding two

simulated cells in the same beaker because this caused an interference, or at least an inconsistency,

in the results. Another source of error would be the amount of time given to drying teach simulated

cell before weighing it. This could cause some cells to be not completely dry if an inadequate

amount of time is spent drying which in turn would skew the data. The best way to improve this

experiment would be to allow the simulated cells to soak in the beakers for a longer time. This

would allow for the simulated cells to fully go through osmosis and reach equilibrium which would

allow for more data to be collected.

Conclusion:

Overall, most hypotheses were correct and gave the expected results. The hypothesis for beaker one

was true because it was found that equilibrium was already met so there a negligible amount of

osmosis. The hypothesis for beaker two was correct because there was a slight increase in mass that

occurred due to osmosis. The same happened for the hypotheses for beakers three and four in which

there was a noticeable and more dramatic increase in mass because of osmosis just as expected. The
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first hypothesis for beaker five was proven correct since the water in the 60% glucose solution did

dramatically lose mass due to the properties of its hypertonic environment. However, the second

hypothesis for beaker five was wrong and the results did not match the ones of beaker two. This is

most likely, as stated before, because of the interference of the other simulated cell present in

beaker five. In conclusion, it was proven that the cell membrane is only permeable to certain

materials, that osmosis is different in each osmotic environment, and the rate of osmosis increases

as the concentration gradient increases.

References:

Diffusion Through Cell Membranes. (n.d.). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, United States.

McMahon, M. (2018, March 28). What is Osmosis. Retrieved from WiseGEEK: www.wisegeek.org/what-is-

osmosis.htm

OpenStax . (2015, May 13). Passive Transport 5.2. In O. College, Biology (pp. 147-153). Houston: OpenStax

College. Retrieved from Kahn Academy.

Vasanth. (2018, April 15). What is Cell Transport? Retrieved from WiseGEEK:

www.wisegeekhealth.com/what-is-cell-transport.htm