LESSON 2.

CELL MEMBRANE
1. INTRODUCTION
All organisms are formed by cells. Each cell is the unit structure and function of the organism.
The plant cell is surrounded by a cellulose wall. The cell wall maintains the cell’s shape and protects
the cell from mechanical damage. The cell membrane is the layer between the cell wall and the cytosol.
Cytosol contains organelles. Each organelle plays a different role in the cell.
Cells, as well as their organelles, have a lipoprotein membrane that separates them from their
surroundings. The intact cell membrane exhibits selective permeability. It retains the necessary
organic and mineral metabolites; controls its metabolism with the environment; maintains its osmotic
pressure; and allows the movement of water across the membrane by osmosis.
Every factor that affects the integrity of the membrane structure affects the above-mentioned
function of the cell.
2. Practice
2.1. Materials
Red beetroot
2.2. Chemicals
Absolute alcohol.
2.3. Practice
Effects of temperature and organic solvent on the permeability of cell membranes
- Cut the beetroot into 7 pieces (4 cm x 1 cm x 0,5 cm). Ensure that no peel is left on the samples. Put
the beetroot pieces into a beaker, rinse them under running water for a few minutes to remove all
pigments from the broken cells (stop when the wash water is free of pigment), then soak the samples
in clean water.
- Label 7 test tubes from 1 to 7.
+ Tube 1 - 6: 15 ml of distilled water/tube.
+ Tube 7: 15 ml of absolute alcohol (cover the tube with a piece of nylon).
- Heat treatment: Put the beetroot pieces in water at 5 different temperatures (40, 50, 70, 100, and -
10C) (put each beetroot piece into a small nylon bag. Immerse the nylon bags in the water at the
specified temperature for 10 minutes).
- Put the sample into the test tubes: Soak the beetroot pieces after heat treatment in numbered test
tubes:
+ Tube 1: the beetroot piece was not heat-treated (standard tube)
+ Tube 2: 40C – treated beetroot piece.
+ Tube 3: 50C – treated beetroot piece.
+ Tube 4: 70C – treated beetroot piece.
+ Tube 5: 100C – treated beetroot piece.
+ Tube 6: - 10oC – treated beetroot piece.
+ Tube 7: the beetroot piece was not heat-treated.

1
 - Put all the tubes in a test tube rack, keep them at room temperature, and wait for 15 minutes.
Remove the beetroots from the tubes, shake the tubes gently, and observe the color intensity
of the solutions. Compare the color intensity of solutions in tubes with that in the standard
tube.
Note:
+ The sample size must be THE SAME.
+ Heat treatment time must be THE SAME.
+ The time to soak the samples in test tubes must be THE SAME.
3. REPORT
Record the results in a table. Evaluate the color intensity in each test tube by the number of
plus signs (+). Make comments on the effect of temperature and absolute alcohol on the
permeability of cell membranes. Explain.

Tube 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Color
intensity