Name and Student number: Charles

Maclean | 101008920 |

Cell Membranes
Course Code: BIOL 1103 Section: A13

OSMOSIS AND DIFFUSION

Introduction
Osmosis is the diffusion of free water across a selectively permeable membrane
and diffusion is the spontaneous movement if a substance down its concentration
or electron chemical gradient from a region where it is more concentrated to a
region where it is less concentrated (Reece et al., 2014). Both osmosis and
diffusion are required in the maintenance of cellular life. Due to each cells desire
to achieve homeostasis each cell will undergo osmosis and diffusion in order to
reach a steady state. (Reece et al., 2014). Osmosis and diffusion are done
though aquaporins that allow water to pass through the plasma membrane of the
cell (Maurell et al., 1997), Smaller ions such as glucose are able to pass through
as well, however large molecules such as starch are unable to pass through
(Biology Department, 2015). Diffusion is based on the idea that if the cells
surface area is larger than its volume then the percent weight gain will also be
large (Hoffman et al., 2009).
Method:
Different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75M) were placed in test tubes.
Four cubes of potatoes were made and measured for mass using a Denver
Instrument MXX-212 scale with an uncertainty of 0.01g, then for surface area
and volume using a millimeter ruler with an uncertainty of 0.5mm, then placed
into one of the four solutions each. The squares remained in the solution for one
hour. After this time each cube was then weighed a second time. A separate
section of the experiment included two square pieces of potato, one large and
one small which were measured for surface area, volume, and weight then
incubated in distilled water for one hour. They were then weighed again.
Sausage casing was obtained from a beaker of solution, and a knot was
tied in the end. This sausage casing was placed in 50mL of distilled water then
2mL of 20% lactose solution, and 2mL of 2% amylose solution was placed inside
of the casing, which was then mixed by swirling the sausage casing. The casing
remained in the water for 30 minutes, four test tubes were obtained and labelled
S, SI, B, BI, C. Test tube S and SI had solution from the sausage casing, B and
BI both had solution from the beaker, and C was distilled water for a control. SI
and BI both had drops of IKI placed into them and the remaining three test tubes
had Benedict's reagent placed into them. The three test tubes with Benedict's
reagent were then placed into the 60oC Fisher Tissuemat Water bath for 5
minutes. Upon the completion of the water bath, each solution's colour was
qualitatively observed.
The final portion of the experiment involved immersing red onion skin in an
isotonic solution, and a mystery solution for five minutes. The effects were

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observed on an Olympus CX31 microscope using the 10x magnification, to

determine the hypo- or hypertonicity of the mystery solution.
Results:

Table No1. Illustrates that each solution prior to Benedicts test was clear making
it very hard to distinguish any difference. When IKI was added to both test tubes
changed colour, Test tube SI went black indicating the presence of starch, while
test tube BI turned an opaque brown colour indicating the absence of starch. Test
tubes C, B and S all began clear and colourless however became blue when
benedicts reagent was added. After the water bath both test tubes S and B had
changed colour indicating that sugar was present.

Table No1.

Original Contents

Colour prior to
Benedicts Test

Colour after
Benedicts Test

Test Tube C

1mL distilled
water

Clear, Colourless

Blue

Test Tube S

1mL sausage
casing solution

Clear, Colourless

Opaque yellow

Test Tube B

1mL beaker
solution

Clear, Colourless

Opaque Orange

Test Tube BI

1mL beaker
solution

Clear, Colourless

Opaque Brown

Test Tube SI

1mL sausage
casing solution

Clear, Colourless

Black

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Table No.2 provides data that during this portion of the experiment, there was a
weight change of .101g for the concentration of 0M, resulting in a percentage of
weight change of 10.4%. The weight change for 0.25M was .16 which resulted in
a percent weight change of 8.7%. The effect of the concentration 0.5M was a

Table No2.
Molarity(M)

.25

.50

.75

1.78

1.89

1.47

1.94

2.01

1.43

Weight .101
Change(g)

.16

.12

-.04

% Weight 10.4
Change (%)

8.7

6.3

-2.72

Weight I,(g) 1.81

Weight f,(g)

2.00

Dimensions(cm 1x1x .9
1.2x1x .9
1.2x1x .9
1x1x .9
)
weight change of 0.12g resulting in a percent weight change of 6.3%. The
concentration of 0.75M affected the potato by producing a weight change of -.04g
and a subsequent percent weight change of -2.72%.

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In Table No. 3, the large potato piece with a surface area to volume ratio of 3:1
had a percent weight change of 7.3%, while the small potato piece with a ratio of
surface area to volume of 6:1, had a percent weight change of 17.2% .

Table No.3
Small Potato
Dimensions(cm) 1x1x1
Surface Area(cm2) 6
Volume(cm3) 1

Large Potato
2x2x2
24
8

SA-V Ratio 6:1

3:1

Weight I,(g) 1.37

6.52

Weight f,(g) 1.56

7.30

% Weight Change(%)

17.2

11.9

In Figure No.4, the whole mount of epidermal peel of the red onion in Mystery B
solution had three cell components visible: cell wall, nucleus, and a central
vacuole. The central vacuole was a pale pink colour and the nucleus was larger
than the nucleus of the whole mount of epidermal peel of red onion in isotonic

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solution, which can be found in Figure No.3. Overall these two cells are very
similar except the one is much smaller in size.

Discussion:
Osmosis is the diffusion of free water across a selectively permeable
membrane (Reece et al., 2014). Osmosis is always happening in living cells,
whereas diffusion is dependent on the concentration of the solution (Reece et al.,
2014). This requirement of the cell to constantly be in homeostasis; a
physiological steady state (Reece et al., 2014), allows the cell to take in nutrients
and excrete waste products. This relates to the idea that smaller ions such as
glucose can pass through a membrane whereas larger molecules like starch
cannot. From what we know about osmosis it can be said that this experiment
involves the diffusion of glucose from inside of a sausage casing. In Table No. 1,
the colour of the test tube labelled SI was black which indicates the presence of
starch. Whereas the test tube labelled BI was a pale brown indicating the
absence of starch. This is because the membrane of the sausage casing is not
allowing the larger molecules like starch to pass through (Biology Department,
2015). There may be some sources of error due to the knot in the sausage
casing not being tied tightly enough and starch leaking through. Another source
of error may be that there was already a hole in the casing.
In the second part of this experiment with the sausage casing test tubes
C, B and S all began clear and colourless however became blue when benedicts
reagent was added. After the water bath both test tubes S and B had changed
colour indicating that sugar was present. The sausage casing has a darker colour
because it has a larger quantity of sugar molecules where the beaker only has
what the membrane had let pass through with in the time allotted.In Table No.2,
the potato mass was affected by diffusion because the potato piece in the 0M
lactose solution has the highest weight change which is due to the hypotonic
solution it was immersed in. The second highest is 0.25M lactose indicating a
hypotonic solution,. The 0.5M solution was the third highest weight change
getting closer to a hypertonic solution but not quite. The 0.75M had actually lost
weight and has the least amount of weight change and therefore is a hypertonic
solution.
In Table No.3, the large potato square exhibited a 11.9% weight change
whereas the small potato had a 17.2% weight change. The small potato had a

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much larger percent change in weight because its surface area in the ratio to
volume is doubled (6:1, to 3:1, respectively). This can be attributed to aquaporins
which are on the plasma membrane of the cell (Hoffman et al, 2009), therefore
as the surface area of a cell is large in comparison to its volume, the percentage
weight gain will also be larger. The cell in Figure No.3, is the control and
comparison to Figure No.4 which was immersed in Mystery B solution. Figure
No.4 shows a large central vacuole with a pale pink colour, indicating it has had
water flow into the cell, and from these observations, it becomes apparent that
Mystery B solution was hypotonic. Figure No.5, which was immersed in Mystery
A solution had a small central vacuole. Alternately if Mystery B solution is
hypotonic we can conclude that the Mystery A solution is hypertonic.

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References:

1. Maurel, C. (1997). Aquaporins and water permeability of plant

membranes.Annual review of plant biology, 48(1), 399-429.
2. Hoffmann, E. K., Lambert, I. H., & Pedersen, S. F. (2009). Physiology of cell
volume regulation in vertebrates.Physiological Reviews, 89(1), 193-277.
3. Biology Department. 2015. First Year Biology 1003/1103 Laboratory Manual
Fall Term 2015. Carleton
University Press,
Ottawa, ON.
4. Reece, J.B., L.A. Urry, M.L Cain, C.A. Wasserman, P.V. Minorsky, R.B.
Jackson, F. Rawle, D. Durnfird, C.Moyes, S Walde & K. Wilson. 2014. Campbell
Biology: Canadian edition. Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, ON.

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