preview

Diffusion of Molecules

Decent Essays

LAB EXERCISE: Diffusion and Osmosis

Laboratory Objectives
After completing this lab topic, you should be able to:
1. Describe the mechanism of diffusion at the molecular level.
2. List several factors that influence the rate of diffusion.
3. Explain why diffusion is important to cells.
4. Describe a selectively permeable membrane, and explain its role in osmosis.
5. Define hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic in terms of relative concentrations of osmotically active substances.
6. Discuss the influence of the cell wall on osmotic behavior in cells.
7. Explain how incubation plant tissues in a series of dilutions of sucrose can give an approximate measurement of osmolarity of tissue cells.
8. Explain why osmosis is …show more content…

When the solutions are isotonic, there is no net flow of water across the membrane.

The concept of osmotic pressure must be understood when studying osmosis. The movement of water from a hypotonic solution through the membrane into a hypertonic solution can be prevented by applying force or pressure on the hypertonic side. The force that must be applied to prevent osmotic movement of water from hypotonic to hypertonic, measured in atmospheres, is referred to as osmotic pressure. Solutions with greater concentrations of OAS have greater osmotic pressures because greater force is required to prevent water movement into them. Distilled water has an osmotic pressure of zero.

EXERCISE 1. Diffusion of Molecules Through a Selectively Permeable Membrane

Materials string or rubber band 500 – mL beaker one-third filled water sharpie handheld test tube holder
30 % glucose solution 3 standard test tubes starch solution disposable transfer pipettes
I2KI solution 2 400 – mL beakers to hold dialysis bag
Benedict’s reagent 30 – cm strip of moist dialysis tubing hot plate

Introduction
Dialysis tubing is a membrane made of regenerated cellulose fibers formed into a flat tube. If two solutions containing dissolved substances of different molecular weights are separated by this membrane, some substances may readily pass through the pores of the membrane, but others may be excluded.

Working in groups of four students, you will

Get Access