EXPERIMENT 6

THE CELL MEMBRANE

GROUP 7

OBJECTIVES
TO SYNTHESIZE AN ARTIFICIAL MEMBRANE
TO OBSERVE THE DONNAN MEMBRANE
PHENOMENA

THEORIES TO BEGIN WITH

INTERACTION BETWEEN WATER AND OIL

 ALBUMIN IS COMPOSED OF WATER-SOLUBLE

PROTEINS

WITH NON-POLAR PROTEIN POCKETS

RUPTURE

split

OSMOTIC PRESSURE
MINIMUM PRESSURE WHICH NEEDS TO BE
APPLIED TO A SOLUTION TO PREVENT INWARD
FLOW OF WATER ACROSS A SEMIPERMEABLE
MEMBRANE.

OSMOTIC EFFECT
ISOTONIC SOLUTION OSMOTIC PRESSURE EQUAL TO
THE CELL
HYPOTONIC SOLUTION OSMOTIC PRESSURE LESS
THAN OF THE CELL
HYPERTONIC SOLUTION OSMOTIC PRESSURE MORE
THAN OF THE CELL

WHEN CHARGEDPARTICLES NEAR A SEMI

PERMEABLE MEMBRANE
FAILS TO DISTRIBUTE
EQUALLY ACROSS THE 2
SIDES OF THE
MEMBRANE

DONNAN MEMBRANE PHENOMENA

 IMPERMEANT ION ON ONE SIDE OF MEMBRANE WILL

CAUSE ASYMMETRIC DISTRIBUTION OF PERMEANT
CHARGED IONS.
DONNAN EQUATION AT EQUILIBRIUM
[NASIDE 1] [CLSIDE 1] = [NASIDE 2] [CLSIDE 2]

EXPERIMENTAL DATA:
ALBUMIN SOLUTION ON OIL DID NOT RUPTURE
BUT BROKE.
WATER ON OIL BROKE BUT DID NOT RUPTURED.

DONNAN MEMBRANE PHENOMENA

Initial pH: 3.8

pH inside: 3.8
pH outside: 3.8
Water level inside: same

pH inside: 3.2
pH outside: 3.3
Water level inside: higher

Set up B initial pH: 7.5

pH inside: 7.5
pH outside: 7.5
Water level inside: Same

Set up B after few hours

pH outside: 7.0
pH inside 7.1
Water level inside: higher

QUESTIONS
1. ILLUSTRATE THE TYPES OF MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS
POSSIBLE IN THE MEMBRANE LAYER.

2. RECALL THE STRUCTURE OF A

DETERGENT MOLECULE. HOW CAN THIS
DISRUPT MEMBRANE INTERACTIONS.

3. WHICH ONE HAS HIGHER SURFACE

TENSION, PURE WATER OR AN ALBUMIN
SOLUTION?
PURE WATER HAS HIGHER SURFACE
TENSION.

4. HOW DOES SURFACE TENSION EXPLAIN THE

DIFFERENCE IN BEHAVIOR OF THE ALBUMIN SOLUTION
AND OF THE WATER WHEN PLACED IN OIL?
WHEN A DROP OF WATER WAS PLACED ON OIL, IT ONLY MOVED OR INDENTED
BECAUSE WATER HAS HIGH SURFACE TENSION. THE COHESION FORCE THAT
BIND SIMILAR MOLECULES IS STRONG AND THE ADHESIVE FORCE THAT BINDS
A SUBSTANCE TO THE SURFACE, OIL, IS WEAK DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN
POLARITY. ON THE OTHER HAND, ALTHOUGH THE ALBUMIN DROPLET MOVES
AND INDENTS, IT RUPTURED AFTER WE POKED IT. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT
ALBUMIN HAS LOWER SURFACE TENSION THAN WATER, ALBUMIN IS ALSO
COMPOSED OF PROTEINS WHICH ARE KNOWN TO HAVE NONPOLAR
COMPOUNDS. THE NONPOLAR COMPOUNDS OF THE ALBUMIN MAY ALSO
CONTRIBUTED IN THE RUPTURING OF THE DROPLET.

5.DEFINE THE FOLLOWING:

A. HEMOLYSIS IT IS THE RUPTURING OF RED BLOOD CELLS DUE TO
HYPOTONIC CONDITIONS
B. CRENATION THE SHRINKING OF CELLS UNDER THE PRESENCE OF
HYPERTONIC MEDIUM
C. PLASMOLYSIS SHRINKING OF PLANT CELL DUE TO LOSS OF WATER
D. TURGIDITY IT IS THE SWELLING OF PLANT CELL DUE TO HIGH AMOUNT
OF WATER IN IT.

6. EXPLAIN THE IRRITATION IN THE EYES

AFTER SWIMMING IN THE SEA. HOW WOULD
EYE DROP EASE THIS IRRITATION?
THE SEA WATER HAS HIGH SALT CONCENTRATION MAKING IT
HYPERTONIC RELATIVE TO THE EYES. THE IRRITATION MAY BE
CAUSE BY THE LOSS OF WATER IN THE EYES. USING EYE DROPS
WOULD EASE THE IRRITATION BY ADDING MOISTURE WHICH
RESTORES THE WATER LOST.

7. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS EXPECTED

TO HAVE HIGHER TONICITY:
A. MARINE FISH CELLS OR FRESH WATER CELLS?
MARINE WATER CELLS
B. ARCTIC FISH CELLS OR TROPICAL FISH CELLS?
TROPICAL FISH CELLS

8. EXPLAIN THE CHANGE IN .

DONE

9. CORRELATE THE PRINCIPLE OF DIALYSIS

WITH THE FUNCTION OF THE KIDNEY
MACHINE USED IN CASES OF UREMIA.
UREMIA IS A CASE WHERE THERE IS HIGH CONCENTRATION OF
NITROGENOUS SUBSTANCE IN THE BLOOD. TO TREAT THIS
SICKNESS, THE BLOOD OF THE PATIENT IS PURIFIED FROM THE
WASTE PRODUCTS USING KIDNEY MACHINES THROUGH THE
METHOD OF DIALYSIS. BLOOD FLOWS ON ONE SIDE OF THE
SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE THAT CONTAINS SMALL HOLES THAT
ALLOWS SMALLER SOLUTES TO PASS THROUGH BUT BLOCKS
LARGER BIOMOLECULES TO GO THROUGH IT.