Osmosis Investigation

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Osmosis Investigation

INTRODUCTION:

Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of higher

concentration to an area of lower concentration. Diffusion results

because of the random movement of particles. The diffusion of water

into and out of a selectively permeable membrane is called osmosis.

Because of the selectively permeable membrane, nothing but water and

other very small particles can be diffused through osmosis. The cell

membrane is similar to the membrane mentioned above, so the cell would

lose water because of osmosis if it were placed in an environment in

which water concentration is greater than that of the cell. A solution

is isotonic if the concentration of dissolved substances is the same

as the concentration inside the cell. Osmosis does not occur in an

isotonic solution. A hypotonic solution is a solution in which the

concentration of dissolved substances is lower than the concentration

inside the cell. If a cell were put in a hypotonic solution, osmosis

will cause water to move through the cell membrane into the cell. A

solution is hypertonic if its concentration of dissolved substances is

greater than the concentration inside the cell. If a cell were placed

in a hypertonic solution, it would lose water. All particles that pass

through the plasma membrane by the process of diffusion do not require

energy, so their movement is called passive transport. The transport

of materials against a concentration gradient requires energy, so it

is called active transport.

Aim

Our aim was to find out how sugar solution strength affects osmosis,

we did this by doing an experiment and then got the results. The

results are as expected the 2m solution has made the potato pieces in

the jar shrink. The experiment has proven that the stronger the

solution is the more it affects the rate of osmosis in a

semi-permeable membrane. The aim that we had was proved right and

sought out to investigate osmosis in a more detailed way for us to

find out more information about it.

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