Diffusion and Osmosis Lab Report

Instructions: In this lab activity, you will investigate membrane permeability to specific
substances and how that affects diffusion. You will also investigate how the concentration of a
solution will affect the water potential of a plant cell. Lastly, you will create your own
investigation to test the effects of cell size or temperature on the exchange of materials between
cells and the environment. Submit your lab report to your instructor when completed.

Title:

Diffusion and Osmosis Lab

Objective(s):

 Investigate membrane permeability to specific substances and how that affects diffusion.
 Investigate how the concentration of a solution will affect the water potential of a plant
cell.
 Investigate and test the effects of cell size and surface-area-to-volume ratio on the rate of
diffusion.

Hypothesis:

Part 1:

I predict that the iodine will diffuse into the bag. If the iodine solution enters the bag, then the
color of the starch solution in the bag will turn purple.

Part 2:

If the sucrose concentration in the solution is high or hypertonic relative to the potato and apple
cubes, then the volume of the cubes will decrease due to the flow of water from a region of
higher water potential to a region of lower water potential, in this case, the sucrose solution. If
the sucrose concentration of the solution is low or hypotonic relative to the potato and apple
cubes, then the volume of the cubes will increase due to the flow of water from a region of
higher water potential to lower water potential, in this case, the potato and apple cubes. If the
sucrose concentration is similar or isotonic to the potato and apple cubes, then there will be no
change in volume in the cubes.

Part 3:

I predict that the smaller potato cubes will show a greater percentage of iodine diffusion than the
larger cubes due to their higher surface-area-to-volume ratios.
Lab Safety:

 Wash your hands before and after handling lab materials.

 It is important to always protect your eyes during lab activities. Wear protective goggles
whenever possible.
 When working at the kitchen counter or table, be sure to protect the workspace from
spills and clean up any splashes or spills immediately.
 All materials in this lab activity are safe to dispose in the garbage (solids) and down the
drain (liquids only).

Procedure:

A list of materials and summary of steps is provided for you in part 1 and 2. However, you are
responsible for the summary of steps in part 3.

Materials:

Four large plastic cups or bowls Paper towels

Eight small cups/bowls 100 mL distilled water

Two thin non-durable zip-lock 60 g or 5 tbs sugar (sucrose)

plastic sandwich bags (the generic
version work best) One potato

Measuring cups and spoons One of the following: sweet potato,

pear, or apple
Iodine
Aluminum foil or plastic wrap
¼ cup cornstarch or small potato
Knife
Strainer (optional)
Metric ruler

Summary of Steps:

Part 1: Cell Permeability

1. Create a starch solution in a bowl or cup by one of the following methods:

a. Option 1

a) Add 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 water into a bowl.

 b) Stir to mix.

c) Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups very warm water (be very careful when working
with hot water) and stir well.

b. Option 2

a) Boil a small potato in 2 cups of water

b) Mash the potato

c) After the potato cools, pour water over the mashed potato and strain
the fibrous part out using a coffee filter.

d) Be sure to cool to room temperature to avoid adding temperature as a

variable.

2. Add starch solution:

a) Measure out 1 cup of the starch solution and pour carefully into one
sandwich bag.

b) Zip lock the sandwich bag tightly to prevent leaks–leaving some air in
the bag above the starch solution.

c) Test for leaks to ensure that the bags are sealed tightly.

d) If any of the solution leaks, try reinforcing the bag by twisting and tying
with a string.

3. Rinse the outside of the sealed bag with water and blot dry with a paper towel.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with plain water for the second sandwich bag.

5. Fill the two large cups or bowls half-full of water.

6. Label each cup based on the contents of the bag it will contain: "starch" and
"water."

7. Add enough iodine to each cup of water to produce a light amber color (about 8-9
drops). Stir to mix completely. Observe and record this initial color in your part 1
data table.

8. Carefully place each bag in the appropriate cup of water/iodine solution.

9. Record your hypothesis about what you expect to observe in each cup. Be sure to
include a justification for your hypothesis.
10. After 30 minutes, observe the bags and surrounding water for any color change.

 Iodine and starch react together to form a dark blue/black solution.

 A color change to a dark blue/black indicates the presence of starch.

11. Record all results in Table 1.

Part 2: Water Potential

1. Prepare the following solutions, two of each, in the eight small cups or bowls. Stir
each solution until the sucrose dissolves.

A. Make 2 cups/bowls of Solution A: 1 cup of distilled water, no sucrose

added
 Label one cup "Potato A"
 Label the other "Sweet Potato or Pear or Apple A."

B. Make 2 cups/bowls of Solution B: 1/2 teaspoon of sucrose in 1 cup of

distilled water
 Label one cup "Potato B"
 Label the other "Sweet Potato or Pear or Apple B"

C. Make 2 cups/bowls of Solution C: 1 teaspoon of sucrose in 1 cup of

distilled water
 Label one cup "Potato C"
 Label the other "Sweet Potato or Pear or Apple C"

D. Make 2 cups of Solution D: 2 teaspoons of sucrose in 1 cup of distilled

water
 Label one cup "Potato D"
 Label the other "Sweet Potato or Pear or Apple D"

2. Cut four cubes (approximately 1 cm × 1 cm) of the potato and four cubes of the
sweet potato (or pear/apple). Be sure that all of your cubes are the same size and
none of the cubes have any skin on them.

3. Measure the length, width, and height of all eight cubes after they have been cut.
To find the volume of each cube, multiply the three values and record the initial
cube measurements in Table 2.

4. Place one potato cube in each of the cups labeled Potato A, B, C, and D. Do the
same for the sweet potato/pear/apple cubes in cups A, B, C, and D. Each cup or
bowl should only have one cube inside.
5. Cover the cups tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let sit overnight.

6. Record your hypothesis about what you expect to observe on Day 2 and how you
believe the two types of potatoes will compare. Be sure to include a justification
for your hypothesis, based on the sugar content of each potato (or fruit).

Day 2

1. Remove the potato cube from Solution A.

2. Blot it gently on a cloth towel and measure the length, width, and height. Record
the measurements.

3. Repeat Step 1 for the remaining cubes.

4. Use the data in Table 2 to create a graph of percent volume change on the y-axis.

Part 3: Factors Affecting Diffusion

There are additional factors that affect diffusion, such as temperature or cell size. The
summary of steps for this section depend on which factor you would like to investigate.
You are responsible for creating the procedures you plan to follow. Consider these tips
before creating your summary of steps.

 To investigate one variable, all other variables should stay the same.
 If temperature is your independent variable, be sure to use room temperature as
your control group.
 If cell size is your independent variable, you can cut your potato, apple, or pear
into different sized cubes and compare their rate of diffusion to their surface-area-
to-volume ratios.
 If testing temperature, consider using the diffusion of color dyes vs. temperature
as a testing option.
 Be sure to test your variable at least three times and include these trials in your
data. For cell size, this means cutting three cubes for each size potato, apple, or
pear that you wish to test, then testing these items together to conserve time.

Part 3 Materials:
Medium-sized potato
Iodine
Three small plastic bowls or cups
Knife
Metric ruler
Tissue paper
 Part 3 Summary of Steps:

1. Using the metric ruler as a measuring guide, cut three cubes for each size potato
cube; a 0.5x0.5x0.5 cube, a 1x1x1cube, and a 2x2x2 cube.
2. Add iodine/food coloring into three plastic bowls or cups filled with water.
3. Put the potato cubes into the iodine/water solution.
4. Let the potato cubes sit for one hour.
5. After one hour, remove the potato cubes from the solution and blot dry with tissue
paper.
6. Using a knife, slice each cube in half.

Variables:

There are three parts to this investigation. List and explain your controlled variables, independent
variable, and dependent variable for each part of the investigation.

Remember, controlled variables are factors that remain the same throughout the experiment. An
independent (test) variable changes so that the experimenter can see the effect on other variables.
The dependent (outcome) variable will change in response to the test variable.

Part 1:

Controlled variables: The temperature of water, the amount of water in the containers, the
bag types, the amount of iodine in each container and the length of the experiment.

Independent variable: The iodine solution.

Dependent variable: The color of the starch solution.

Part 2:

Controlled variables: Size of the potato and apple cubes, plastic cups, amount of solution
in each cup, type of apple and potato, and the amount of time in solution.

Independent variable: The concentration of sucrose in each solution.

Dependent variable: The change in volume of the potato and apple cubes before and after
the experiment.

Part 3:

Controlled Variables: The type of potato, the amount of time the cubes were left in the
solution, the amount of iodine used, and the water temperature.

Independent Variable: The size of the potato cubes.

 Dependent Variable: The volume of the potato cubes that received the iodine solution.

Data:

Complete the table to organize the data collected in this lab. Don’t forget to record measurements
with the correct number of significant figures.

Table 1

Bag Content Initial color of water/iodine Final color of the solution in the
solution in the cup cup
Starch and Water A golden color. A purplish dark blue color.

Water A golden color A very light golden color.

Table 2

Substance Potato Apple

Contents in A: B: ½ tsp. C: 1 tsp. D: 2 tsp. A: B: ½ tsp. C: 1 tsp. D: 2 tsp.
cup/bowl Distilled sucrose sucrose sucrose Distilled sucrose sucrose sucrose
water water
Initial cube 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3 1 cm3
volume
(cm3)
Final cube 1.03 cm3 0.993cm3 0.974cm3 0.96 cm3 1.06 cm3 1.04 cm3 1.01 cm3 0.98 cm3
volume
(cm3)
% change 3% -0.7 % -2.6 % -4 % 6% 4% 1% -2%
in volume

Calculations:

Show your calculations of percent change for each cup/bowl here. Refer to your AP Science
Skills Tutorial in the AP toolkit, practice 5, page 3 for assistance. You will need the ionization
constant of sucrose (i = 1.0).

Potato A: (1.03 cm3 -1 cm3 )/(1 cm3 ) x 100 =3 %

Potato B: (0.993 cm3 -1 cm3 )/(1 cm3 ) x 100= -0.7 %

Potato C: (0.974 cm3 -1 cm3)/(1 cm3) x 100= -2.6%

Potato D: (0.96 cm3 -1 cm3)/(1 cm3) x 100= -4%

Apple A: (1.06 cm3 -1 cm3)/(1 cm3) x 100=6%

Apple B: (1.04 cm3 -1 cm3)/(1 cm3) x100=4%

Apple C: (1.01 cm3 -1 cm3)/(1 cm3) x 100=1%

Apple D: (0.98 cm3 -1)/(1 cm3) x 100= -2%

Graph

Graph the change in sucrose concentration in solution (x-axis) to the change in percent volume
of your potato and fruit cubes (y-axis).
 Table 3

Use this table to collect your data for part 3 of your investigation. If you are testing cell size, be
sure to include surface-area-to-volume ratio data.

Length of a cube side Surface Penetration Surface Length Not %

area Volume distance (cm) area / of not brown penetration
(cm2) (cm3) volume brown volume
ratio cube (cm3)
side
(cm)

0.5 cm 1.5 cm2 0.125 cm3 0.2 cm 12:1 0.30 0.027 78.4 %
3
cm cm
1 cm 6 cm2 1 cm3 0.19 cm 6:1 0.80cm 0.421 57.8 %
3
cm
2 cm 24 cm2 8 cm3 0.33 cm 3:1 1.67 4.66 41.7 %
cm cm 3

Conclusion:

Write a conclusion statement that addresses the following questions:

 For part 1, describe the permeability of the sandwich bag to starch. Then to iodine.
 The result of the experiment supported the hypothesis.
The starch did not permeate the plastic bag membrane, as indicated by the lack of change
in the iodine solution's color outside the bag. Iodine, on the other hand, did in fact
permeate through the plastic bag membrane as indicated by the color change in the starch
solution inside the bag.

 For part 2, explain what happened to each cell type in response to its surrounding
solution. Be sure to include water potential in your explanation.

The potato cell in solution A had a higher concentration of solute relative to the solution,
thus a lower water potential. Water flowed from the solution into the potato, which
explains the increase in the potato’s volume. In solutions B, C, and D, the potato cell had
a lower concentration of solute relative to the solution, which caused water to flow out of
the potato cells.
The apple cells in solutions A, B, and C had a higher concentration of solute relative to
the solutions, thus lowering their water potential. This fact caused water to flow into the
cells, increasing their volume. In solution D, the apple cell had a lower concentration of
solute relative to the solution, which caused water to flow out of the cell shrinking its
volume.

 For part 3, describe your observations and conclusion about your tested variable.
The smaller potato cubes showed a higher percentage of iodine diffusion than the larger
cubes. This experiment allows one to conclude that surface-area-to-volume ratio directly
affects the rate of diffusion.
Does your data support or fail to support your hypotheses (include example for each)?
The data collected from Part 1, 2, and 3 supports the hypotheses. In part 1, the iodine
permeated the plastic bag as indicated by the color change. In part 2, the potato and apple
cubes with a higher sucrose concentration relative to the surrounding solution increased
in volume, while those with a lower sucrose concentration relative to the solution
decreased in volume.
Discuss any possible sources of error that could have impacted the results of this lab.

In Part 2 and 3, possible sources of error could be an inadequate accuracy of the cubes'
measurement. Measuring tiny objects with a regular ruler is bound to give slightly inaccurate
measurements.

Lab Reflection Questions

Answer the reflection questions using what you have learned from the lesson and your
experimental data. It will be helpful to refer to your class notes. Answer questions in complete
sentences.

1. Use the molecular structures of starch and iodine to explain their movement across a
permeable membrane in part 1 of the investigation.
 Iodine was able to diffuse into the bag because it is essentially an element. It is composed
of single atoms. Starch, on the other hand, was not able to permeate through the bag
because it is a polysaccharide, a complex carbohydrate that is classified as a
macromolecule.
2. Explain if each type of cell (potato, sweet potato/pear/apple) was isotonic, hypertonic, or
hypotonic to each of the solutions in part 2 of the investigation.
Potato A was hypertonic relative to the distilled water. Potato B was isotonic relative to the
solution. Potato C and D were hypotonic relative to the 2 tsp sucrose solution.
Apple A was hypertonic relative to the distilled water. Apple B was slightly hypotonic relative to
the solution. Apple C was isotonic relative to the solution. Apple D was hypotonic relative to the
solution.
3. Based on the observations, which of the vegetables/fruits used in this experiment has a
greater amount of sucrose in its cells? Explain your answer.
The experiment results prove that the apple cubes have a greater amount of sucrose than
the potato cubes. If the concentration of sucrose in the solution is the same as the
concentration of sucrose in the apple and potato cells, then there will be no significant
change in the volume of the potato and apple cubes because there will be no net
movement of water. The isotonic solution for the apple cubes was the solution with four
grams of sucrose. Whereas for the potato cubes, the isotonic solution was the solution
with two grams of sugar.
4. If you tested cell size in part 3, explain how the surface-area-to-volume ratios of your
plant cells affected your results. If you tested temperature, explain how your results can
be explained by kinetic molecular theory.
The surface-area-to-volume ratios of the potato cubes got smaller as the cubes got larger.
The smaller potato cubes with the higher surface-area-to-volume-ratio had more contact
with the iodine solution than the larger cubes. As a result, the iodine diffused more easily
into the smaller cubes.

5. There are many factors that affect plant growth, including the salts and minerals in their
water supply. A farmer wants to find the right concentration of mineral solution to use
with his sunflower crop. He places five sunflowers in a beaker of 1 M mineral solution,
five sunflowers in a beaker of 0.5 M mineral solution, and five sunflowers in a beaker of
0.2 M mineral solution.

a) Calculate the solute potential of a 0.5 M mineral solution at room temperature

(25⁰C). A sample sunflower has a solute potential of -28 bars within its cells.
(Note: i =ionization constant = 1.0) Determine the direction water will flow
between the sunflower and its environment.
= -(1)(0.5)(0.0831)(298)= -12.3819 bars
The water flows into the sunflower because the sunflower has a higher
concentration of solute than the mineral solution. Water thus flows from a
region with a lower concentration of solute (high water potential) to a region
with a higher solute potential (low water potential.
b) Once equilibrium is reached between sunflower and the environment, calculate
the turgor pressure inside the plant cell.
15.6181 MPa