Cell Membranes

Osmosis and Diffusion

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 Functions of Membranes
1. Protect cell
2. Control incoming and outgoing substances
3. Maintain ion concentrations of various
substances
4. Selectively permeable - allows some
molecules in, others are kept out
Phospholipid Bilayer
Fluid Mosaic Model
 Blood-Brain Barrier
• Allows some substances into the
brain, but screens out toxins and
bacteria
• Substances allowed to cross include:
water, CO2, Glucose, O2, Amino Acids,
Alcohol, and antihistamines. HIV and
bacterial meningitis can cross the
barrier.
 Solutions
• Solutions are made of solute and a solvent

• Solvent - the liquid into which the solute is

poured and dissolved. We will use water as
our solvent today.

• Solute - substance that is dissolved or put

into the solvent. Salt and sucrose are
solutes.
 Methods of Transport Across
Membranes
1. Diffusion

2. Osmosis

3. Facilitated Diffusion

4. Active Transport
 Methods of Transport Across
Membranes
1. Diffusion -passive transport - no energy
expended
2. Osmosis - Passive transport of water across
membrane
3. Facilitated Diffusion - Use of proteins to
carry polar molecules or ions across
4. Active Transport- requires energy to transport
molecules against a concentration gradient –
energy is in the form of ATP
 Diffusion
• Movement of molecules from an area of
high concentration to an area of low
concentration.

• Movement from one side of a membrane

to another, un-facilitated
Diffusion
Osmosis
 Tonicity is a relative term
• Hypotonic Solution - One solution has a
lower concentration of solute than
another.
• Hypertonic Solution - one solution has a
higher concentration of solute than
another.
• Isotonic Solution - both solutions have
same concentrations of solute.
Plant and Animal Cells put into
various solutions
Types of Transport
 Today’s Lab
• We are using dialysis tubing as the
cell membrane - It is selectively
permeable
• The solute is either the eosin starch
solution or the sugar solution
• What is the solvent?
 Membrane Permeability
• Solute is eosin-starch-chloride solution
• Solvent is Water
• Indicator for presence of starch is IKI
• Starch is made of amylose and amylopectin –
amylopectin is insoluble
• Iodine is not very soluble in water, but with KI
it forms a I3- (triiodine ion) which is soluble.
• I3- combines with the amylose and the starch
molecule turns blue-black.
Test for Starch

Elmhurst College Website

 Test for Chloride ions
• Indicator for presence of chloride ions is
silver nitrate, AgNO3

– A white precipitate, AgCl, forms if chloride

is present.
 Test for Sulfate ions
• Indicator for the presence of sulfate ions
is Barium chloride, BaCl
– Barium sulfate, BaSO4 - forms a white
precipitate
– BaCl + NaSO4 ----> BaSO4 + NaCl
 Living Cells
• Beet cubes will be used to see the result of
boiling and adding alcohol to a live
membrane.
• Yeast cells are used to see effects of heat
• Fern gametophytes are used to see result
of putting live cells in solutions of varying
tonicity
 Osmosis
• We will make an osmometer to see
osmosis
• Sugar solution in a dialysis tube is used to
simulate a cell membrane.
• Various concentrations of solute may be
used around the room.