Potato Osmosis Lab

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The research question asks how the solute concentration in the solution would affect the change in weight of the potato. The hypothesis posed in this lab was if the potato is placed in a 0.0M solution then it will increase in weight and if the potato is placed in a 0.2-1.0M solution then it will decrease in weight. The results yielded from the lab supported the hypothesis. When the potato is placed in a 0M solution it will increase in mass because there would be less solute in the environment, therefore making it hypotonic, causing the cell to swell up and get bigger. When the potato is placed in a solution that is 0.2-1.0M it will decrease in mass because there would be more solute in the environment, therefore making it hypertonic, causing the cell to lose water and possibly plasmolyze. The osmolarity of the Russet potato used in the experiment would differ from the osmolarity of other potatoes. The graph created from the data of the …show more content…

During the cutting of the potato, a slice used in the experiment was dropped on the floor. This could have caused the potato to collect dirt off of the ground and when adding it to the solution, the solute concentration of the solution could have been altered. To prevent the catastrophe from occurring, potatoes should be cut over paper and cut carefully in order to avoid contamination. Also, during the pat down of the potatoes after one day, the potato was squeezed with malicious force, possibly altering the weight of the potato. To prevent the disaster from occurring, potatoes should be pat down with gentle hands. Another error that occurred was that the potatoes were not weighed immediately after being pat down. They were left on their lids. During this duration, the potatoes could have lost the water that they absorbed, therefore altering their final weight. This tragedy could have been prevented by weighing potatoes right after they were pat down, instead of leaving them on their

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