Activity 1

WATER AND ITS PROPERTIES

INTRODUCTION: Water is important to all living systems. It serves as natural solvent for mineral ions and other
substances. It is also the dispersion medium for colloidal cells like protoplasm. t serves as the medium for most
biochemical reactions, and is the most abundant component of cells. Except for the bone tissues and enamel, water
constitutes about 70% of the human body.

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the properties of water that makes it a suitable medium for sustaining life in biological systems.

MATERIALS
NaCl citic acid powder egg membrane
sugar NaHCO3 2 beakers
gelatin 1% NaCl in starch solution thistle tube
CuSO4 o\0.1 M AgNO3 test tubes
lard 10% sucrose solution test tube rack
ethanol deionized water string or rubber band
CCl4 dialysis bag

PROCEDURE/ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Water is a universal solvent

a. Put about 0.5 grams of the following substances into 6 separate test tubes: NaCl, sugar, gelatin, CuSO 4, lard and
ethanol. Add 1 mL of water to each test tube and shake vigorously to dissolve the substance. To substances that
did not dissolve, add another 1 mL of water and shake.
b. Repeat the solubility test using CCl4 instead of water.
c. Describe the solubility in both solvents as soluble, slightly soluble and insoluble. Record observations in the table
below.

SUBSTANCES Solubility in water Solubility in CCl4

NaCl Soluble Insoluble
Sugar Soluble Insoluble
Gelatin Slighlty Soluble Insoluble
CuSO4 Soluble Insoluble
Lard
Ethanol Soluble Insoluble

Based on your observation, which solvent dissolves more substances?

Observation: Based on my observation, water dissolves more substances than CCl4. Thus, water makes an excellent
solvent, meaning it can dissolve many substances.

2. Water is a good medium for biochemical reactions

a. Mix 0.1 gram of dry, powdered citric acid and sodium bicarbonate in a dry test tube. Observe if a chemical re -
action occurs.
b. Add about 10 mL of water to the mixture and note what happens.
Observation: In my observation the presence of water, citric acid and sodium bicarbo nate mix to form
carbono dioxide gas, which disperses and produces bubbles in water.

3. Properties of water solutions

 a. Dialysis (Set up A). Obtain a dialysis bag (egg membrane). [Soak the egg shell in an acid in order to get the
soft membrane. Be careful not to tear off the thin film]. Fill with 30 ml of 1% starch-NaCl mixture, tie the bag
and rinse thoroughly with water. Put the bag in a beaker containing distilled water. Adjust the set-up such that
the levels of fluids inside and outside the bag are the same. After 1 hour, test 1 mL of the dialysate (water in
the beaker) with a few drops of 0.1 M AgNO 3. Formation of a white precipitate of AgCl confirms the pres-
ence of chloride ions in the dialysate. Test also with iodine solution. Observe the results. You may also test
the solution inside the egg with both test reagents.
Observation: Dialysis is a process wherein the molecules separate through a semipermeable membrane.  The so-
lution inside the bag was slowly moving outwards in the direction of the distilled water.  After an hour, the solu-
tion of starch and sodium chloride was separated on each side of the semipermeable membrane.  The addition of
0.1 M AgNO3 dissolved in water formed chloride ions which diffused across the membrane.  Therefore, by replac-
ing the solvent with a fresh solvent, you can eliminate unwanted substances.

Set Up A Set Up B

b. Osmosis (Set up B). Fill the glass tubing with 10% sucrose solution. Tie the membrane filter at the end of the
tubing using a rubber band. Suspend it in a beaker with distilled water. Mark the level of solution in the glass
tubing. Observe the difference in solution levels after 30 minutes. Did the sugar solution migrate inwards or
outward the tubing?
Observation: As the tubing was submerged into the water the liquid rises. The sucrose solution is hypertonic
to the water, so as the time passes by we can observe that there is a movement of water molecules from the
water outside to the sucrose solution inside the tube. Thus, the solution should have risen but what happened
in our experiment was it didn’t rise after 30 minutes.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. Enumerate the different functions of water in living systems
 Water is essential for the survival of all living organisms.
 Water regulates body temperature .
 Water is needed by plants to carry out photosynthesis.
 Water help beaks down food .
 Water allows the body of every living creature to help absorb minerals and other nutrients needed by the cells
to thrive and grow.
 Water eliminate waste materials and toxins.
 Water helps maintain blood pressure.
 Water cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues.
 Water boosts performance during an exercise.
 Presence of different types of water allows marine animals to thrive in a place they are accustomed with.

2. Based on your observations, define dialysis and osmosis. Cite possible applications of the above procedures.
 Dialysis is the transfer of solute through a semi-permeable membrane, It is used to separate different components
or substances of a solution. The best-known example of dialysis is the removal of waste and excess fluids from
the blood when the kidney does not work correctly.

On the other hand, the osmosis process occurs when the fluid moves from a high-water concentration to a lower
water concentration through the semi-permeable membrane. It is the absorption of water into a concentrated
solution. For instance, when plants absorb water from the soil, the roots' hair acts as a semi-permeable membrane,
allowing water molecules to move from high concentration (soil) to low concentration (roots).

CONCLUSION:
Water is an important matter that all living things depend on in order to survive the events of their
surroundings. The human body is composed of 70% water, while the earth is composed of 90% water. All animals
and plants need water to survive. Life-forms use water to carry nutrients around the body and to take away
waste. Water has different functions for living systems, such as regulating body temperature. The process of
dialysis controls blood pressure as it removes excess water and metabolic waste from the body.  Osmosis is also an
important process, not only for humans but for all living things because it allows a whole ecosystem to develop.

REFERENCE/S:
 ABSORPTION, TRANSPORT AND WATER LOSS. (n.d.). ABSORPTION, TRANSPORT AND WATER
LOSS. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://nios.ac.in/media/documents/SrSec314NewE/Lesson-08.pdf

 Osmosis. (n.d.). Osmosis. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.science.com/study-guides/physics/12-7-

molecular-transport-phenomena-diffusion-osmosis-and-relatedprocesses/#:~:text=Diffusion%20through
%20membranes%20is%20an%20important%20method%20of%20transport.%20Membranes%20are%20generally
%20selectively%20permeable&text=or%20semipermeable.%C2%A0. . .%20Similarly&text=dialysis%20is
%20the%20transport%20of%20any%20other%20molecule%20through%20a%20semipermeable%20membrane
%20due%20to%20its%20concentration. . .

 Water. (n.d.). Water . Retrieved June 22, 2022, from

https://www.humanscaretips.com/article/why_humanbeings_need_water

DOCUMENTATION:

Water is a universal solvent:

DIALYSIS:

OSMOSIS: