WATER POTENTIAL PROBLEMS ANSWER KEY

1. What is the solute potential Ψs of a 1.0M sugar solution at 22 degrees Celsius under standard atmospheric conditions Ψp=0 ?
-24.5 Bars

2. Zucchini cores are measured and determined to have a sucrose concentration of 0.36 M. Calculate the solute potential Ψs of these
cells. (Temperature is same as question #1.) Will water go in or out of the plant cell?

-8.83 Bars and water will go INTO the cell

Plant cell

pure water

3. If solute potential in the plant cell above is –6.25 bars and pressure potential is 0, what is water potential of the plant cell? What
does this indicate in terms of water movement?
Water potential = –6.25 bars and Water will move INTO the plant cells

4. If solute potential in the plant cell above is –6.25 bars and pressure potential is 6.25 bars, what is the water potential of the plant
cell? What does this indicate in terms of water movement?

Water potential = 0 bars and Water will have NO NET movement

5. A dialysis bag containing 0.1% sucrose is placed in a beaker containing 0.4% sucrose. The beaker is open to the atmosphere.

What is the pressure potential Ψp of the system? ZERO

What is the water potential of this dialysis bag? -1
Water will move OUT of the dialysis bag.

6. If a potato is allowed to dehydrate by sitting in the open air, would the water potential of the potato cells decrease or increase?
Why?

Potato water potential would decrease as water leaves the cells due to dehydration.

7. What is the water potential for a solution in an open container that is 0.1M? (assume i = 1, and a temperature of 22°C)

-2.5 bars

8. What is the solute potential for a solution that is 0.5M? (assume i = 1, and a temperature of 10°C)

-11.8 bars

9. A plant cell has a solute potential of –4.0 bars and a pressure potential of 1.0 bar. What is its water potential?
If this cell is placed in a solution with a water potential of –5.0 bar. What will happen to this cell?

Water potential = -3 bars and the cell will lose water or shrink
10 A plant cell has a solute potential of –2.0 and a pressure potential of 0.0. What is its water potential? Show your work
It is placed in a solution with a water potential of –1.0. What will happen to this plant cell?

Water potential = -2 bars and the cell will gain water or swell

11. If a cell’s ΨP = 2 bars and its ΨS = -3.5 bars, what is the resulting Ψ?

Ψ = ΨP + ΨS = 2 bars + (-3.5 bars) = -1.5 bars

12. The cell from question #11 is placed in a beaker of sugar water with ΨS = -4.0 bars. In which direction will the net flow of water
be?

The pressure potential of a solution open to the air is 0. Therefore, the water potential of the sugar water is
-4.0 bars [Ψ = 0 bars +(-4.0) bars]. Since free water always flows towards the solution with a lower water
potential, the flow of water would be outside of the cell.

13. The original cell from question # 11 is placed in a beaker of sugar water with ΨS = -1.5 bars. In which direction will the net flow
of water be?
-0.15 MPa = -1.5 bars
The water potential of the sugar water is -1.5 bars [Ψ = 0 bars + (-1.5 bars)]. Since the water potential of the
original cell was also -1.5 bars, there would be no net flow of water. The cell and the sugar water are in
equilibrium.

14. The value for Ψ in root tissue was found to be -3.3 bars. If you take the root tissue and place it in a 0.1 M solution of sucrose at
20°C in an open beaker, what is the Ψ of the solution, and in which direction would the net flow of water be?

ΨS = -(1)(0.1 mol/L)(0.0831 L*bars/mol*K)(293 K) = -2.43 bars

Ψ = ΨP + ΨS = 0 bars + -2.43 bars = -2.43 bars
The Ψ of the root tissue is -3.3 bars and the Ψ of the sucrose solution is -2.43 bars. Water will flow into the
root tissue because free water always moves towards the lower overall water potential.

15. NaCl dissociates into 2 particles in water: Na+ and Cl-. If the solution in question 4 contained 0.1M NaCl instead of 0.1M sucrose,
what is the Ψ of the solution, and in which direction would the net flow of water be?

ΨS = -(2)(0.1 mol/L)(0.0831 L*bars/mol*K)(293 K) = -4.87 bars

Ψ = ΨP + ΨS = 0 bars + -4.87 bars = -4.87 bars
The Ψ of the root tissue is -3.3 bars and the Ψ of the NaCl solution is -4.87 bars. Water will flow out of the
root tissue and into the salt solution because free water always moves towards the lower overall water
potential.

16. What is the solute potential Ψs of a 3.5M sugar solution at 22 degrees Celsius in an open beaker?

ΨS = -(1)(3.5M)(0.0831 L*bars/mol*K)(273+22) = -85.8 Bars

17. At 20°C, a cell containing 0.6M glucose is in equilibrium with its surrounding solution containing 0.5M glucose in an open
container. What is the cell’s ΨP?

Surrounding solution: Ψ = ΨP + ΨS = 0 bars + (1)(0.5 mol/L)(0.0831 L*bars/mol*K)(293 K) = -12.2 bars

Cell at equilibrium: -12.2 bars = ΨP + (1)(0.6 mol/L)(0.0831 L*bars/mol*K)(293 K) = ΨP + (-14.6 bars)

ΨP = -12.2 bars – (-14.6 bars) = 2.4 bars