MODULE 3: TRANSPORT ACROSS THE
This mechanism allows
MEMBRANE
MLS2E - GROUP 4
CABASAN, Edward Theodore
DEOCAMPO, Jerone Rey
KANAAN, Anne Therese
PARIÑAL, Christian Haj
PASCUAL, Rengel
I.INTRODUCTION
The cell, most referred to as the basic unit of
life, structure, and function in all living things, is
structurally protected by its outer membrane called
the plasma membrane that is semi-permeable by
nature. This allows for a selective passage among
nutrients, ions, and molecules across the cell. The
flow of such materials is regulated by the cell’s
plasma membrane by surrounding the cells with a
phospholipid bilayer that has hydrophilic heads and
hydrophobic tails. During this process, an electric
current is produced by the movement of the
materials through the membrane. These substances
are required to pass through this membrane to be
absorbed or received in the cell. In plants, the cell
membrane plays a pivotal role in the formation of a
cell wall that serves as their protective capsule.
Altogether, this semi-permeable membrane
functions by providing a two-way passage
mechanism among nutrients, molecules, ions, as
well as wastes and unwanted substances by
regulating and only allowing passage of essential
materials across the plasma membrane towards the
inside of the cell so that metabolic and other cell
processes can be sustained throughout the living
organism’s body.
There are several mechanisms by which
materials can be transported across the cell. The
most common type of transport is diffusion in which
molecules pass through passive transport from a
region of higher concentration to a region of lower
concentration. This transport often requires no
expenditure of energy to occur. The rate of diffusion
is dependent on three factors: 1) differences in
concentration gradient across the membrane; 2)
size and shape of the solute’s particles; and 3)
temperature by which the movement of molecules
takes place.
Another type of transport is through osmosis
which is simply similar to diffusion except that the
solvent is mainly water. Osmosis diffuses
substances in a membrane that is more permeable
to water than its solute.
water to travel from a more diluted region to a more
concentrated region to obtain equilibrium in both
solutions. Still, no energy is required for transport to
take place. When osmotic pressure is present,
osmosis stops as the solution now achieves a
greater solute concentration and equilibrium is
reached.
Additionally, molecules can be further
separated according to size and their ability to
diffuse through the cell’s semi-permeable
membrane. This process is called dialysis, where
only selected particles can pass through the
membrane.
Surface tension in solutions strengthens due
to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions
between water molecules. As the tension increases,
the likelihood of the formation of drops, bubbles,
meniscus, and the ability to wet surfaces, among
others, also increases. As a remedy, salts, soaps,
and detergents are effectively used as surfactants to
lower surface tension.
II. METHODOLOGY
A. DIFFUSION
Two glasses were labelled: “A” and “B”.
respectively, and were both filled equally with water.
Glass A was put in a microwave and was heated for
10-15 seconds, while Glass B was left at room
temperature. After heating Glass A, stamp ink was
dropped on the surface of both glasses at the same
time to compare the rate of diffusion between the two
solutions with temperature as a varying factor. The
rate of diffusion was observed.
B. OSMOSIS
A potato was taken from a watch glass and
placed on a white tile where both of its ends were cut
to make it flat. A hollow cavity was carved using a
knife on the center of the potato from one flat side.
Next, the potato was transferred to a Petri dish half-
full of water. 20% sugar solution was then poured to
fill half of the cavity in the potato. After so, a pin was
inserted inside the potato’s cavity to mark the initial
level of sugar solution, simulating an osmometer.
The students observed the reaction. After two hours,
the rise in the level of sugar solution in the cavity was
marked with another pin.
 III. RESULTS
C. SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY

A dialysis tubing was used in this experiment. A. DIFFUSION

The tubing was made by tying one end of the
transparent plastic tube to make it into a bag. The Table 1. Color Clouds
tube was filled with fructose-starch solution, sealed,
and was immersed in a cup of water. 50 drops of Observation
iodine solution were added to the same cup. Some
of the solution from the cup was then poured to a test Warm water The stamp ink dispersed
tube to serve as an impermeable barrier, and was + Ink gradually after dropping; there
also positioned in the cup right after. The students was complete diffusion of the ink.
observed the changes overnight.

D. SURFACE TENSION

Two cups were used in the experiment. One

cup was filled with water and blue food coloring. The
other cup was filled with Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
and orange food coloring. The food coloring on both
cups was used to make the liquid solutions more
visible and to easily distinguish between the two
solutions used in the experiment. A dropper was Water + Ink The stamp ink sunk at the bottom
used to take a small amount of the colored water and faster upon dropping the ink but
released a few drops slowly onto the surface with somehow slowed down with
aluminum foil. The students observed the shape of particles remaining at the top of
the colored water as the droplets sat on the foil. The the water with striations of ink
same procedure was then repeated for the colored slowly dispersing towards the
alcohol. The students observed the shape of the bottom of the glass.
colored alcohol as the droplets sat on the foil.

To further test the surface tension in water, a

set of cups filled with varying colors of water mixed
from food coloring were prepared. A toothpick was
used to prick and maneuver the colored water
droplets, creating different color combinations with
the colored substances. Next, a different toothpick
with soap at one of its tips was used to prick the
same droplets. The students observed and
compared the reaction of the droplets with the two
toothpicks. Table 1. Shows that water with higher temperature
diffused completely and had a higher rate of diffusion
compared to water at room temperature.
 B. OSMOSIS D. SURFACE TENSION

Table 2. Potato Osmometer Table 4. Soap Box

Observation Observation

Initial Volume of the 20% sugar solution only Water pricked Droplets retained their dome
Volume toothpick shape.
without soap
Final Volume of the sugar solution increased
Volume when the water transferred from a
region of high concentration to a region
of low concentration (potato cavity with
20% sugar solution)

Table 2. shows the observation of the initial volume

of the solution containing only 20% sugar solution
and the final volume of the solution which rose due Water pricked Droplets disintegrated and lost
to the entry of water from the Petri dish into the sugar toothpick with their dome shape.
solution through the selectively permeable soap
membrane of the cells in the potato.

C. SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY

Table 3. Dialysis Tubing

Initial Final
Table 4. shows the comparison observed between
Color of the solution in the White Black the water droplets when pricked with a toothpick
bag containing no soap and a toothpick with soap. The
droplets pricked without soap retained their shape
while those pricked with soap disintegrated and lost
Color of the solution in the Dark Light their shape.
cup Red Red

Table 3. Shows that the initial color of the solution in
the dialysis bag was white and yielded a final color
of black while the initial color of the solution in the
cup was dark red and yielded a final color of light
red.
IV. DISCUSSIONS
A. DIFFUSION
Diffusion is a type of passive transport in which
molecules travel from a region of higher
concentration to a region of lower concentration until
it reaches equilibrium. Although it is a passive
transport and does require the expenditure of energy
or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for it to occur, it
may utilize any form of energy present in the
environment to facilitate a faster rate. In the
experiment performed, the students observed the
rate of diffusion of stamp ink with water in the two
glasses – one heated and one at room temperature.
As observed, the rate of diffusion was faster in the
glass with warm water compared to that of at room
temperature. This is due to the heat that was present
in Glass A.
Heat is a form of energy. The experiment
conducted implicates a positive correlation between
temperature and a substance’s rate of diffusion as it
shows that when temperature increases, the kinetic
energy present in the particles of the solution also
increases causing them to diffuse faster due to the
increased motion of the particles in the solution. At
lower temperatures, substances will likewise diffuse
at a slower rate.
B. OSMOSIS
Osmosis is a special case of diffusion where
the movement of water molecules move from a
region of higher concentration to a region of lower
concentration through a selectively permeable
membrane. Semi-permeable membranes, also
termed selectively permeable membranes or
partially permeable membranes, allow certain
molecules or ions to pass through by diffusion.
In the experiment, the water molecules that
were initially in the Petri dish gradually traveled from
its highly concentrated region to the inside of the
potato’s cavity, which had 20% sugar solution, a
region with lower water concentration. The
experiment showed how osmosis took place in the
potato as the final volume of the solution increased
after leaving the set-up untouched overnight. As
observed, the water from the Petri dish seeped into
the semi-permeable membrane of the potato,
causing the volume of the solution to rise. Osmosis
stopped as the concentration in both regions
reached equilibrium.
C. SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY
Selective permeability is an ability of a
membrane to differentiate between molecules
allowing certain molecules to pass through while
blocking others. In the experiment performed, the
students observed the selective permeability of a
dialysis bag. The bag was filled with a white fructose
and starch solution, put inside a cup filled with dark
red iodine. The students observed that the solution
in the bag gradually turned purple. This was due to
the passing through of iodine and its binding with
starch. On the other hand, the solution on the cup
tested positive for fructose. This reaction shows that
the dialysis bag was permeable to both iodine and
fructose but not to starch. The color of the solution
in the cup also made transition from dark red to light
red due to the one-way passage of iodine into the
bag. Once the iodine seeped into the bag it bound to
starch. Starch, being a polysaccharide, is too large
to permit passage through a dialysis bag, a
semipermeable membrane, making the starch-
bound iodine impossible to exit the bag.
Selective permeability is an important
characteristic of membranes which gives them the
ability to control the movement of molecules inside
and outside its parameters. It is a highly essential
biological implication because our cells have this
ability. It gives our cell membranes the ability to
control what molecules come in and out of the cell.
The structure of our cell membranes is an integral
part of this characteristic as it contains a lipid bilayer,
embedded with peripheral and integral proteins and
some cholesterol. This also gives the cell the ability
to perform certain biological processes of diffusion,
facilitated diffusion, exocytosis, endocytosis,
phagocytosis, and osmosis, among others.
D. SURFACE TENSION
Surface tension is a thin film that usually
forms on the surface of liquid substances as a result
of the attraction of its liquid molecules. One of its
major properties is to allow surfaces of liquids to
resist external forces. This resistance is due to the
cohesive nature of water molecules that strongly
bond and interact with each other.
The intermolecular forces in alcohol are less
compared to water which explains why in the
experiment, the water droplets had a more compact
and firm shape compared to the rather loosely
formed dome-shaped appearance of the alcohol
droplets. The presence of lower intermolecular
forces among molecules in liquid substances
account for less cohesion, and therefore also yield
less surface tension.
In addition, high surface tension in
substances allows objects to float on their surfaces
such as a paper clip when placed atop a glass of
water! Hence, with high surface tension, cohesion
among water molecules becomes stronger and
more compact, making their intermolecular forces
have greater resistance to external forces, thus
accounting for the colored water droplets’ ability to
resist the pricking of the toothpick.
The addition of surfactants such as soap
emulsifies the intermolecular forces among the
water molecules and in turn, lowers, if not disrupts,
the substance’s surface tension. This occurs as the Libretexts. (2020). 15.3: Membrane Transport with
soap breaks down the interface between water and Selective Permeability. Biology LibreTexts.
oils. Since soap is generally made with fats, it Retrieved November 22, 2020, from
contains long chains of molecules composed of https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_Cali
hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. So, fornia_Davis/BIS_2A%3A_Introductory_Biology_(E
similarly, when applying this mechanism in the aslon)/Readings/15.3%3A_Membrane_Transport_
action of handwashing, as soap comes into contact with_Selective_Permeability
with water, its hydrophobic tails are attracted to the
oils or dirt and are lifted away from the surface, are Nicolson, G. (2013). Update of the 1972 Singer-
broken down into smaller pieces, and are washed Nicolson Fluid-Mosaic Model of Membrane
away by water. The surfactant molecules of the Structure. Discoveries,
water break apart the forces interacting within water https://doi.org/10.15190/d.2013.3.
and therefore make water “wetter”!

V. REFERENCES

USGS. (n.d.). Surface Tension and Water. Retrieved

November 23, 2020, from
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-
school/science/surface-tension-and-water?qt-
science_center_objects=0#qt-
science_center_objects

Libretexts. (2020a, august 15). 5.2E: Osmosis.

Biology LibreTexts. Retrieved November 23, 2020,
from
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and_General_Biology/Book%3A_General_Biology_
(Boundless)/5%3A_Structure_and_Function_of_Pla
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Lowe, N. (n.d.). Soapy Science. Science on the

Shelves. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from
https://www.york.ac.uk/res/sots/activities/soapysci.h
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Lichtarowicz, M. (2013). Surfactants. The Essential

Chemical Industry - Online. Retrieved November 20,
2020, from
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-and-
applications/surfactants.html#:~:text=Surfactants%
20function%20by%20breaking%20down,and%20oil
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the%20earliest%20surfactants,carboxylic%20acids
%20(fatty%20acids).

Volker, J.H. (2019). Cell Membrane (Plasma

Membrane) - Structure, Function, and Composition.
Earth’s Lab.
https://www.earthslab.com/physiology/cell-
membrane-plasma-membrane-structure-function-
composition/
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1.) How do osmosis, diffusion, dialysis, and
surface tension exhibit in the cell membrane?
Osmosis, diffusion, dialysis, and surface
tension are exhibited in the cell membrane by nature
of the anatomy of its structure. The cell membrane’s
structure consists of a phospholipid bilayer, some
peripheral and integral proteins, and cholesterol.
Osmosis is a special type of diffusion which
is the dispersion of water from an area of higher
concentration to an area of lower concentration. In
line with this, the phospholipid bilayer controls this
process since it contains a hydrophilic head and a
hydrophobic tail.
Diffusion is also controlled by the cell
membrane in line with the concentration gradient of
molecules. This process is passive and does not
require energy expenditure but rather relies on the
random thermal motion of molecules.
Dialysis, on the other hand, is the process
that separates molecules through their rates of
diffusion and can be performed by the cell
membrane along with diffusion.
Surface tension is the formation of a skin-like
surface on the outside of a compressed water
solution. Since the cell membrane is shielded by its
phospholipid bilayer, it can aggregate to ensure the
heads have maximum hydrophilic interactions
among water-loving molecules while the tails have
their corresponding maximum hydrophobic
interactions. The water molecules are compressed
and result in the formation of surface tension.
Surface tension gives the cell its shape.
2.) Explain how renal insufficiency may be
corrected by the use of dialysis.
Kidneys function as an organ that regulates
body fluid, blood pressure, blood chemistry and
filters out wastes in our body. Renal insufficiency
causes gradual loss of kidney function. When this
occurs, the kidneys are no longer able to function at
optimum level and may eventually lead to one’s
fatality. Dialysis is used as a means to filter organic
wastes, and other toxins in the blood. The wastes
and toxins pass through several membranes based
on the principle of diffusion in order to be filtered out.
After filtration, blood is naturally returned to the
bloodstream.
3.) Supposing we are going to use milk as the
sample in part C. If we will test the dialysate for
sugar and protein, which test will give a
positive result? Explain.
If milk was used as the sample in part C and
tested the dialysate for sugar and proteins, the
dialysate will test positive for sugar but not for
protein. Dialysis is the process of separating
molecules through the use of a semipermeable
membrane. The sugar in milk, which is Lactose, is a
disaccharide. Due to this, its sugar molecules are
small enough to diffuse into the dialysate. Casein, on
the other hand, is a phosphoprotein relatively larger
than lactose, and will conversely not be able to pass
through the semipermeable membrane due to the
size of its molecules. Hence, the protein will remain
inside the dialysis bag.
4.) Explain how soap lowers the surface tension
of water.
The addition of surfactants such as soap,
emulsifies the intermolecular forces among the
water molecules and in turn, disrupts, if not lowers,
the substance’s surface tension. This occurs as the
soap breaks down the interface between water and
oils. Since soap is generally made with fats, it
contains long chains of molecules composed of
hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails.
5.) What will happen to a red blood cell if you
place it in a hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic
salt solution?
If a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution,
there will be a net flow of water out of the cell, making
the cell lose volume and form abnormal spikes and
notches on the cell membrane in a mechanism
called crenation. If a cell is placed in a hypotonic
solution, there will be a net flow of water into the cell,
making the cell gain volume, and ultimately burst
causing the cell to die in a mechanism called Lysis.
Lastly, if a cell is placed in an isotonic solution, there
will be no net flow of water into or out of the cell and
the cell’s volume will remain stable at equilibrium.
Sources:

Osmosis and Cells: How Osmosis Works in Cell

Membrane Functions - BrightHub Education

(302) Surface Tension - What is it, how does it

form, what properties does it impart - YouTube

2.5: Surface Tension and Line Tension - Physics

LibreTexts

Crenation - Definition and Examples | Biology

Dictionary