LABORATORY REPORT IN

MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY

Jaraba, Khyla M. Exercise 4

BS Psychology 1B April 12, 2023
Associate Professor Carina C. Batol April 13, 2023

OSMOSIS AND THE CELL MEMBRANE

I. Objective
1. To learn the osmosis
2. To observe the effect of salt water on a cell membrane
3. To draw the differences within the two slides
4. To appreciate the osmosis and the cell membrane

II. Materials
1. Microscope
2. Onion epidermis from an onion bulb
3. 2 Microscope slides
4. 2 Coverslips
5. Salt Solution
6. Iodine stain
7. Medicine dropper
8. Water

III. Methodology
1. Peel a thin layer of onion epidermis from the onion bulb.
2. Make two iodine-stained wet mounts by placing a drop of iodine stain on the onion epidermis. Caution:
Iodine is poisonous and causes stain.
3. To one of the wet mount slides, add one drop of the salt solution.
4. To the other wet mount slides, add one drop of water.
5. Observe the slides with the drop of water. Draw what you see under question 1 below.
6. Observe the slide with the drop of salt solution. Draw what you see in question 2 below.
7. In both drawings, label all the following parts; nucleus, cell wall, cytoplasm, and cell membrane.
8. Answer the following questions.

IV. Data and Results

 We failed at the exercise on our first attempt. The solutions we required weren't what we had
previously observed. However, we have discovered the purpose of the experiment on our second
attempt. We saw that the cells in the slide with the water drop were definitely bigger and appeared to
be pressing against one another. There is very little, if any, room in between. It does so because water
enters the cell membrane, fills the holes within the cell wall, and causes the cell membrane to become
water-filled. On the slide with a drop of salt solution, however, we observed a variation in cell size. As
the cytoplasm separated from the cell wall, it appeared to contract. Additionally, the slide containing a
drop of salt solution causes the water to evaporate, causing the cells to shrink and become less fully
filled within than the slide containing a drop of water.
V. Drawing

Onion with water Onion with salt solution

VI. Answers to questions

1. Draw three onion cells as they are seen in water under high power.
 Please refer my answer to part five drawing
2. Draw three onion cells as seen in salt solution under high power.
 Please refers my answer to part five drawing
3. Describe the effect of salt water on the plant cell.
 The water is diffusing via osmosis out of the cells, decreasing the quantity of water in their cells and
causing them to be dehydrated.
4. Did the cell membrane allow water to pass out of the cell?
 Yes, Water passes through the membrane in a diffusion process called osmosis. During active
transport, energy is expended to assist material movement across the membrane in a direction against
their concentration gradient.
5. (a) Using what you have observed in this activity, tell what you think would happen to plant watered with
salty water.
 If you water a plant with salt water, it will eventually die. Additionally, it could cause undesirable
physical changes including yellowing, curling, drooping, and dropping until it eventually dries out and
dies.
(b) Explain why you would expect this to happen.
 Since if the salt level in the soil water is too high, water may run back into the soil from the plant roots.
This causes the plant to dehydrate, resulting in a decrease in yield or perhaps mortality

VII. Interpretation of Data and Result

 The task is to observe the effect of salt water on a cell membrane. In order to this the materials should
be complete. The onion must be cut into tiny pieces then add water to know what will be the
appearance of this under the high-power objective in the Microscope. After that, in another slide place
small portion of onion with a drop of salt solution then observe in the Microscope under high-power
objective. Lastly, compare the onion with water and salt solution and write what you have been
observed.

VIII. Conclusion
 This experiment provides a clear illustration of osmosis. Through a semipermeable barrier in the onion
cells, water molecules are seen to have traveled from the area where they are highly concentrated to the
area where they have a low concentration.

IX. Reference
 N/A