Osmosis Lab.docVIP

Osmosis Lab: The Attraction and Release of Water in the Cells Ivy Wang Block：B Group Members: Daisy Fang, Salyu, Betty Tu Abstract: The purpose of the experiment is to confirm the theory about osmosis. The theory is about the diffusion of water that water moves down a concentration gradient through the semi-permeable cell membrane. Water may either be gained or lost by the cells when they are placed into solutions with different concentrations. In hypotonic solutions, the volume and mass of the cells increase because the concentration of the solution is lower, and water goes into the cells from the solution. But in hypertonic solutions, the volume and mass of the cells decrease because the concentration of the solutions is higher, and water leaves the cells and goes to the solution. Therefore, water is gained by the cells when they are placed in hypotonic solutions and the cells lost water when they are in hypertonic solutions. Introduction: Osmosis is the movement of molecules down a concentration gradient. The cell membranes are semi-permeable which means that they are selectively permeable, so they do not allow all kinds of molecules to go across them. Only some particular molecules are able to go into or out of the cell through the cell membrane such as water molecule. Osmosis is the diffusion of water, and water moves from the less concentrated to the more concentrated solution. When the concentration of the solution is higher than the concentration of the cell, it’s called hypertonic solution; when the concentration of the solution is less than the concentration of the cell, it’s called hypotonic solution. And when cells are put into a solution, they may gain or lose water. If the cells are put into the hypertonic solution, then their mass and volume will decrease and they lose water. If the cells are put into the hypotonic solution, then their mass and volume will increase and they gain water. Plant cells will be used in the experiment an