Cell Membrane “Bubble” Lab Name __________________________ Class ________ Date ______

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to model several characteristics of the cell membrane.

Materials: Plastic petri dish, dish soap/glycerin mixture, Styrofoam cups with bottom third cut off, plastic pony
beads, food coloring, container with salt, container with pepper, small rubber band, pencil, toothpick, paper
towels

Procedure:
Part A – Making a bubble
1. Place the Styrofoam cup with the uncut edge into the bubble solution. Slowly pull the cup out of the
solution and place it cut side down on a paper towel.
2. Describe the appearance of the bubble. Is it still, or does it seem to move? Record your observations
below.

Part B – Through the bubble

Food coloring
1. Make another bubble like you did in part A.
2. Take the food coloring and place a drop on the bubble. Try not to bust the bubble.
3. What happened to the drop of food coloring?

4. What happened to the bubble?

Pepper
1. Make another bubble. Take a pinch of pepper and gently drop onto the bubble.
2. What happened to the pepper?

3. What happened to the bubble?

Salt
1. Make another bubble. Take a pinch of salt and drop onto the bubble.
2. What happened to the salt?

3. What happened to the bubble?

 Bead
1. Make another bubble. Take the pony bead and gently drop onto the bubble.
2. What happened to the bead?

3. What happened to the bubble?

Questions

1. What can you conclude about the bubble membrane?

2. If the bubble membrane acts similarly to the cell membrane, what can you conclude about the cell
membrane?

Part C – Bigger and Better

1. Make another bubble. Take the pencil and try to pass it through membrane.
2. What happened to the pencil?

3. What happened to the membrane?

4. Make another bubble. Hold the cup sideways and slide a soap covered rubber band into the
membrane so it floats on top of the bubble.
5. Burst the membrane within the rubber band with the toothpick.
6. What have you now created within the bubble membrane?

7. Pass the pencil through the rubber band.

8. What happened to the pencil?

9. What happened to the rubber band?

Questions
 1. How did the rubber band help the pencil go through the bubble?

2. Why would a cell need passages within the cell membrane?

3. What can you conclude about the cell membrane?

Concept Invention/Term Introduction

1. Review the results from Part A, B and C. Working with your group, summarize your findings for each
part. Remember, each part modeled one characteristic of the cell membrane.
A.

B.

C.

The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, is primarily

made up of phospholipids and proteins.

The phospholipid bilayer is made of two layers of

molecules. Each phospholipid molecule has a polar
(hydrophilic or ‘water loving’) head and two non-polar
(hydrophobic or ‘water fearing’) tails. The hydrophobic
tails of the two layers repel water and are attracted to
each other. They form the inside of the membrane bilayer
“sandwich” while the polar heads are on the outside
closest to the water.

The protein molecules are embedded in the cell

membrane transport other molecules through the
membrane and into or out of the cell.
2. The cell membrane is not a rigid structure, it is very fluid. The membrane is often referred to as a fluid
mosaic model. What do you think this means? (Hint: look at your answer to Part A.)

3. The cell membrane is also called a semi-permeable membrane or it is said to be selectively permeable.
What does semi-permeable mean?

How is it selectively permeable? (Hint: look at your answers to Part B.)

4. Not all substances can pass through the cell membrane. How are larger molecules transported across
the membrane?