Name: _____________________________ Date Performed: ____________

Year and Course: ____________________ Date Submitted: ____________

Subject title: ________________________ Code number: _______________
Name of Professor: ___________________ Score: ______________________

Exercise no. 1
Movement of Substance through Cell Membrane
Experiment Demonstrating Diffusion

I. INTRODUCTION

If we put a teaspoon of instant ice tea on the surface of a glass of water, the
molecules soon spread throughout the solution. The molecules of both the solute (ice tea)
and the solvent (water) are propelled by random molecular motion. The initially
concentrated tea becomes more and more dilute. This process of the net movement of a
solute with the gradient (from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration)
is called diffusion.

If the solute can pass through the membrane, diffusion will occur with net transport
of material from the region of initial high concentration to the region of initial low
concentration, and substance will equilibrate across the cell membrane. After a while, the
concentration of the substance will be the same on both sides of the membrane; the system
will be at equilibrium, and no more net change will occur.

II. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the experiment, each student will be able to:

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III. MATERIALS:
2 – 250ml beaker, 1-500ml beaker, 1-1000ml beaker, 5 test tubes, test tube
rack, test tube brush, test tube holder, 3 x10 cellophane bag, 1-rubber band,
iron ring, 3 pipette, 3-medicine dropper, water bath, electric stove, 1-25ml
graduated cylinder, 1m string, ruler

5g powder gelatin, 1ml methylene blue, 2g KMnO4, 2 g NaCl, 5% glucose

soln, 2g albumin powder, 2ml Nitric acid, 2ml silver nitrate, 2ml Benedict’s
soln.
IV. PROCEDURE:

Movement of dye through the gel

1. Preliminary preparation (a day or two before the laboratory period): add 5 gram
(or 1 tsp) of gelatin to 25ml of cold water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add 75 ml of
boiling water and stir until dissolved. Pour about 15 ml of the solution into a test
tube. Fill the remaining solution to another test tube refrigerate until gelled.

2. Place a drop of methylene blue on the surface of the gel prepared ahead of time. Set
aside at room temperature. At the end of 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours,12 hours and 24
hours, observe whether the dye has move and if so in which direction and how far.

Diffusion of KMnO4

3. Place a few crystal of potassium permanganate on the bottom of a beaker half

filled with water. Observe.

The dialyzing membrane

4. Prepare a bag of 3 x 10 inch of cellophane

5. Prepare a solution as follows in a large beaker (500ml): to 100ml of water add ½

tsp of NaCI plus 50ml of 5% glucose, and the uncooked albumin and place them
inside the cellophane bag. Both NaCI and glucose are crystalloids or true solutes,
whereas albumin is a colloidal solute. ( Better look at these terms up if you are not
sure what they mean)

6. Tie a string around the top of the bag and suspend it in a 1000ml beaker with
distilled water. You may use an iron ring and stand for this set-up. If the cellophane
bag is very thick you may pinch a very small hole in the bag and suspend it in the
distilled water. Let it stand for about an hour and then the test indicated in steps a,
b, and c.

a. Test for albumin: Using a pipette, pour about 5 ml of the fluid into the test tube.
Add a few drops of nitric acid. Note whether coagulation occurs. Nitric acid
coagulates albumin

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b. Test for the presence of NaCI: Using a pipette, pour about 5ml of solution into a
test tube and add a drop of silver nitrate. Note whether a precipitate forms. If NaCI
is present it will combine with silver nitrate to from a precipitate of silver chloride.

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c. Test for the presence of glucose: Using a pipette, pour about 5ml of solution into
a test tube and put 5ml of Benedict’s solution. Water bath the tube for 2 minutes
and let it cool slowly Note: whether a green, yellow, or red precipitate forms
indicates the presence of glucose/sugar.

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V. RESULTS AND OBSERVATION

1. Did the dye diffuse through the colloid gelatin, in its gel state? Why?

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2. In which direction did the dye move through the gel?

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3. What causes the movement of the dye through the gel? What do you call this
process?

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4. Did the result you observed in the 3 under the collection of data indicate that
potassium permanganate diffused through the water? Why?

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5. Based on the result you observed in the step 2 and 3 do you postulate that diffusion
occurs rapidly through the gel, or a liquid, or both at the same rate?
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6. Did the result in step 7, 8 and 9 indicate that the crystalloids glucose and NaCl
diffused through the dialyzing membrane? Why?

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7. Did the colloidal solute albumin diffuse through the membrane in this experiment?

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8. From the experiments you performed in steps 2 and 3, explain the net diffusion of
solutes to its concentration.

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9. Give at least three (3) factors that affect the movement of materials into the cell
through the cell membrane.

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VI. CONCLUSION

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LIBRARY WORK:
● Define diffusion, colloid, net diffusion and dialysis

● In an A4 bond paper research at least two (2) journals / articles about diffusion,
colloid, and dialysis by following the format (Times New Roman font 13,
landscape)
Author(s) Year Title Methods Results
published