Biology

Difusion & Osmosis

3
P R E L A B
Sugar
molecule
Lump of
sugar
What are we going to do today?
Difusion
Osmosis
Why are these important to Biology?
Why do I need to know about these?
Difusion
High concentration to low concentration
Tink about the difusion of...
Perfume
Gases/Smells
Sugar in iced tea
A drop of food coloring in water

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3-1
Difusion is passive - doesn't require any energy.
For example:
Perfume in a room
Where does the smell go?
Osmosis
Semi-permeable Membrane - allows certain
molecules to difuse through it
Van-Griner, LLC

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Semi-permeable membrane - Allowing passage of
certain, especially small, molecules or ions but acting
as a barrier to others.
Analogy a semi permeable membrane is like a
screen door at your house. It allows for the passage of
air, but doesnt allow bigger things such as fies,
pollen, dogs, or humans to pass through.
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-2
Semi Permeable Membrane
High Solute Low Solute
Water (osmosis) balance in cells
Te outside cell membrane of a red blood cell is a
semi-permeable membrane
Vocabulary to know
Hypotonic - distilled water (what would happen
to your body if you drank too much water?)
Hypertonic - salt water (what would happen to
your body if you ate too much salt?)
Isotonic - water enters and leaves at the same rate
(equilibrium, balance, homeostasis)
Vocabulary to know
Hypo = below/less
tonic = Solutes or particles
This means hypotonic solutions have less solutes
in them than the cell has inside itself (opposite
of hypertonic).
Isotonic
solution:
H
2
O enters and
exits the cell
Hypertonic
solution:
H
2
O exits the cell
Hypotonic
solution:
H
2
O enters the cell
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-3
Could you put a saltwater fsh like a
clownfsh in a freshwater stream with
a salmon? What do you think would
happen? What about the reverse?
Todays Lab: Simulated Kidney
A kidney is a complex organ that uses osmosis
and difusion in many ways.
To illustrate these properties, we will create a
simplifed model of kidney function.
A model is a simplifed explanation of a complex
system, and is used to understand the important
factors of that system.
What would happen to you if you
were lost on a boat in the ocean?
How could you survive?
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-4
Why are we going to talk about Kidneys?
Metabolism, Homeostasis
All the blood in the body must pass through
the kidneys.
Kidneys flter all waste out of your body
(urea, ammonia, salts, drugs, water, and
other toxic substances)
Cells of tissue
Tissue (interstitial) fuid
Venule
Lymphatic vessel
Lymphatic capillary
Arteriole
Flow of lymphatic fuid
Capillaries
Red blood cell
Wall of capillary
Respiring cells
Z
Y
X
Van-Griner, LLC
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-5
What is Dialysis Tubing?
Dialysis Tubing is a type of semi or partially
permeable membrane tubing made from
regenerated celluose or cellophane. It is used
for difusion, or more accurately osmosis.
It allows the passage of small molecules but
not larger ones.
Biological Processes
Metabolism Te chemical processes occurring
within a living cell or organism that are necessary
for the maintenance of life.
Cells (Blood Cells, Animal Cells)
Molecules (Waste Molecules,
Salt Molecules, Sugar Molecules)
Homeostasis Te ability or tendency of an
organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium,
or stability, by adjusting its physiological processes.
Tings that afect difusion -
1. Agitation - stirring, shaking
2. Temperature - as heat increases, difusion
increases
3. Concentration - difusion happens from an
area of higher concentration, and goes towards
lower concentration.
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-6
Kidney Dialysis Simulation
3
L A B
Biology 3-7
A.
H
2
O
H
2
O
Afer completing this activity, students will be able to
Defne the terms difusion, osmosis, hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic.
Construct a model to simulate the action of a kidney.
Relate changes in color, turgor, and salt concentration to evidence of osmosis.
Evaluate the function of the kidney as an evolutionary adaptation to life on land.
What is the diference between difusion and osmosis? Difusion is the transport or
natural drif of molecules traveling from an area of higher concentration to an area of
lower concentration. Difusion does not require outside energy (passive) from the cell.
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable barrier
from a place where they are in high concentration to a place where they are in low
concentration. Both difusion and osmosis do not require energy, so they are
considered passive transport.
Figures A and D isotonic - same amount of water is going into and
coming out of the cell.
Figure B hypotonic - water enters the cell due to a high concentration
of dissolved molecules (like salt) on the inside of the cell.
Figure C hypertonic - water leaves the cell due to a high concentration
of dissolved molecules on the outside of the cell.
Learning Objectives
Background Information
Water molecule
Dissolved molecule
B.
H
2
O
H
2
O
H
2
O
C.
H
2
O
D.
H
2
O
H
2
O
Van-Griner, LLC
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-8
Key Vocabulary
cellulose excreted metabolism
concentration isotonic osmosis
dialysis hypertonic selectively permeable membrane
difusion hypotonic solutes
distilled water membrane turgor pressure
5 ml unfltered simulated blood
one pre-cut strip dialysis tubing (made from cellulose)
2 dialysis tubing clamps
250 ml beaker
4 salt test strips
pipette
disposable gloves
stopwatch
Although we are using simulated blood in this lab, which is completely safe and non-toxic,
you still do not want to spill the blood on your skin. Te simulated blood may cause stains.
1. Cover your work station with paper towels, to make cleanup easier.
2. Fill a 250 ml beaker with 200 ml of distilled water. Dip one of the test strips into the
water and determine the initial presence of salt in the water. Remove the strip from
the water and wait 30 seconds. A color change of the test pad is an indicator of a
positive result. Record a positive or negative test result using the key on the test strip
bottle and note any color change in Table 1 in the Data section.
3. With each test strip you use, make sure to label the strip! When you are looking at your
strips for the results, you must be able to distinguish between them.
4. Test the simulated blood for the presence of salt by following the same procedure as
listed in Step 1. Record a positive or negative result in Table 1.
5. Obtain a piece of dialysis tubing from the beaker of water. Using a clamp, secure
one end of the tubing. Open the other end by rubbing the tubing between your fngers.
Pipette approximately 5 ml of the simulated blood into the tubing and clamp the
open end of the tubing to form a bag. Tis bag represents the blood vessels that enter
the kidney.
6. Rinse of the outside of the dialysis bag under running water to remove any excess
blood and place the bag in the beaker. Record the initial color of the solution in the
dialysis bag and of the water in the cup in Table 1.
Materials
Safety
Procedure
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-9
Procedures (continued)
7. Afer 15-20 minutes, remove the bag from the cup. Record the color of the solution
in the bag and of the water in the beaker in Table 1.
8. Determine the presence of salt in the water in the beaker, as in Step 1. Record the
result in Table 1.
9. Make a small slit in the upper portion of the dialysis bag. Insert a salt test strip
into the slit and test the simulated blood. Record this result in Table 1.
10. Dispose of all your materials in the laboratory waste receptacle.
While you are waiting for your cell to difuse, lets talk about a real world example of
difusion. For an organism to survive, it needs to get rid of metabolic waste materials,
as well as maintain proper concentrations of various necessary materials. For example,
human food consists of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, various salts, and water. As these
materials are metabolized (used by the body for energy), certain waste products are
produced, such as carbon dioxide, water, urea and related nitrogenous compounds, salt,
and various minerals. If these waste materials remain in the body, they quickly upset
the bodys equilibrium (homeostasis), so they must be excreted (expelled) rapidly and
efciently.
What would happen if you couldnt get rid of the toxic wastes from your body?
Te kidneys are very important organs within the human body because they are essential
to maintaining homeostasis. Humans have two bean-shaped kidneys that are found at
the back of the abdominal cavity, one found on each side of the spine. Each kidney is
approximately the size of a persons fst. All of the blood in the body must pass through
the kidneys. Te large amount of blood that is passed through the kidneys allows them to
do the following:
Assist in the regulation of blood pressure.
Stimulate red blood cell production.
Maintain calcium levels in the body.
Regulate the composition of the blood by keeping the pH, concentration of various
ions, and the volume of water constant. Te kidneys flter wastes (urea, ammonia,
salts, drugs, water, and other toxic substances) from the bloodstream in order to keep
the blood clean and chemically balanced.
Maintain homeostasis in the cells.
Why do we study a model of a kidney, and not the actual kidney, in this lab?
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-10
Ureter
Medulla
Cortex
Figure 1
Renal Artery
Renal Vein
Renal Pelvis
Te anatomy of the kidneys provides a
greater understanding of the major role they
have in maintaining homeostasis within a
persons body (Figure 1).
Te kidneys are able to flter approximately
180 liters of fltrate per day; however,
they only excrete 1 to 1.5 liters of urine,
conserving the amount of water loss and
greatly concentrating the salts and other
wastes in the urine.
Te function that the kidneys perform is so
vital to a humans survival that total kidney
failure can cause a person to die in a very
short time. Te two most common causes
of kidney disease are:
High blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the kidney, not allowing
for fltration of poisons from the bloodstream.
Diabetes keeps a persons body from using sugar as it should. Te sugar then stays in
the bloodstream instead of breaking down. In turn, it acts like a poison that can
damage the kidneys.
Kidney disease cannot be cured. However, it may be possible to make the kidneys last
longer if kidney disease is detected in the early stages. Certain precautionary measures that
can be taken in these early stages include regularly checking blood pressure, avoiding pain
pills that may make kidney disease worse, carefully watching the diet by limiting proteins,
salt, and cholesterol, and watching blood sugar levels very closely.
Fortunately, medical technology has developed a machine, known as dialysis, that can
serve as an artifcial kidney, fltering out wastes and replenishing the body with clean
blood. With only a few hours of dialysis a week, a person may live for years without
functioning kidneys while they wait for a suitable kidney transplant to become available.

Procedures (continued)
Kidney Dialysis Simulation Lab
3R E P O R T S H E E T
NAME DATE
TA SECTION
Biology 3-11
Results
Table 1:
Reading
Presence of Salt (+ or -) Color
Dialysis Bag Beaker Dialysis Bag Beaker
Initial
Final
1. Summarize how the model used in the lab demonstrates kidney function.
2. How is the kidney like a waste water treatment plant?
3. Aside from fltering the blood, name another function of the kidneys.
Questions
Lab 3 : Dif fusion & Osmosis
Biology 3-12
4. Why would certain substances in the urine (e.g., protein, sugar, blood) be an
important diagnostic tool for the medical community?
5. How do you slow down or speed up difusion?
6. Why do you have to rinse the blood of of the cell before you put it in the beaker?
7. Describe the concentration of salt in the beaker at the beginning of the experiment.
What about the blood cell?
8. Describe the concentration of salt in the beaker at the end of the experiment.
What about the blood cell?
9. What are some of the diferences in structure and composition between a human
blood cell and the dialysis tubing? How does this afect what is able to pass through
these two items?
10. Based on your cell model, would a kidney with more toxins difuse faster or slower
than a kidney with less toxins?
Questions (continued)