Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 1

Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane

Christopher McFayden
Honors Biology: Period 5
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School
April 30, 2018
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Introduction:

Passive transport is a certain type of movement of ions or other atomic or molecular

substances through a cell membrane without the need for energy input (Radar studios, 1997).

Also, to be selectively permeable means that something only allows certain substances and ions

to pass through by the means of passive or active transport. Osmosis is a movement of water

molecules passing through a semi permeable membrane into a higher concentration in which it

will get as close as it can to equilibrium. Different environments that a cell can be placed into is a

hypotonic environment, an isotonic environment and a hypertonic environment. A hypotonic

environment is when there is a higher concentration of substance outside the cell so molecules

move through the cell membrane and into the cell. An isotonic environment is where the cell is

as close to equilibrium as it can be. Placing a cell into a hypertonic environment means that there

is a higher concentration of substance inside the cell causing it to pass through the cell membrane

and exit the cell (Pearson Education, 2000). This is important for real world purposes because we

can be at risk of placing our cells in those environments. Drinking to much water can place your

cells in a hypotonic environment causing them to burst. This is called cytolysis and it can be

found in long distance runners because they are constantly drinking pure water (BWB

Marketing, 2007). While observing the effects of osmosis in the different environments, dialysis

tubing can be use instead of an actual cell. Dialysis tubing can act as a selectively permeable

membrane, which will show us osmosis on a greater scale. For this reason, it is very useful in

this particular lab because it can show how a cell would react when placed into a certain osmotic

environment. One purpose of part one of this lab was to observe how a cell membrane would

react when placed into several different environments. Another purpose was to model and see
 Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 3

what a real cell membrane would be like. Another purpose was to see the damage a real cell

could sustain by being placed into anyone of the given environments. A purpose of part two was

to show how some substances are able to pass freely through passive transport while some others

are not able to pass through selectively permeable membranes. In beaker one, the simulated cell

was placed into an isotonic environment because it was water in water. In beaker two, the

simulated cell was placed into a hypotonic environment because water moved from the high

concentration into the low. In beaker three the simulated cell was placed into a hypotonic

environment, we know this because the cell was placed into a higher concentration of pure water.

In beaker four the simulated cell was placed into a hypotonic environment. In beaker five one of

the simulated cells was placed into a hypertonic environment and the other one was placed into a

hypotonic environment. In part two, the simulated cell in beaker six was placed into a hypotonic

environment. The dependent variable for part one was the change in mass and the independent

variable was the amount of glucose in the different solutions because the mass of the simulated

cell depended on what environment it was in. The dependent variable for part one is the color

change on the inside of the simulated cell. The independent variable for part two was the location

of the starch and the iodine because the color depended on where they were located. The

constants for part one were the amount of solution that was put into the tubing, the temperature

of the solutions, the amount of time left in the beaker, and the method used to dry the tubing after

pulling it out of the beaker. The control group for part one was the simulated cell in the isotonic

environment, the water in water. The experimental group were the rest of the beakers which

tested the different osmotic environments. The constants for part two of the lab were the amount

of water and iodine in the beaker, the temperature of the solutions and the length the dialysis

tubing was in the solution. In part 2 of the lab, there was no control group present. The
 Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 4

experimental group was the simulated cell filled with starch solution in the iodine solution. If

you place a simulated cell filled with 5 mL of pure water into a beaker filled with 200 mL of

pure water, then it will stay around the same mass throughout the lab. If you place a simulated

cell filled with 5 mL of 20% glucose solution into a beaker filled with 200 mL of pure water,

then the mass of the simulated cell will increase because it will be placed into a hypotonic

environment. If you place a simulated cell filled with 5 mL of 40% glucose solution into a beaker

filled with 200 mL of pure water, then the mass of the simulated cell will increase because it will

be placed into a hypotonic environment. If you place a simulated cell filled with 5 mL of 60%

glucose solution into a beaker filled with 200 mL of pure water, then the mass of the simulated

cell will increase because it will be placed into a hypotonic environment. If you place a

simulated cell filled with 5 mL of 80% glucose solution into a beaker filled with 200 mL of 60%

glucose solution, then the mass of the simulated cell will increase because it will be placed into a

hypotonic environment. If you place a simulated cell with 5 mL of pure water into a beaker filled

with 60% glucose solution, then the mass of the simulated cell will decrease because it is being

placed in a hypertonic environment. Finally, if a simulated cell filled with a starch solution is

placed into a beaker filled with an iodine solution, then the iodine solution will move into the cell

because the membrane is selectively permeable to iodine and the color will change to blue.

Materials:

- 6 beakers

- 7 dialysis tubing

- 20% glucose solution

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- 40% glucose solution

- 60% glucose solution

- 80% glucose solution

- Water

- Liquid iodine

- Starch

- 6 pipettes

- 5 graduated cylinders

- 14 pieces of string

- Paper towels

- Plastic spoons

- Scale

- Scissors

- Timer

Procedure: Part 1

1. Obtain 5 beakers and fill four with 200 mL of pure water and one with 200 mL of 60%

glucose solution.

2. Obtain 6 dialysis tubes and fold one end of each tube in a down/across/down formation

and tie a knot with string in the center of the fold.

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3. Obtain 5 graduated cylinders and using pipettes fill the graduated cylinders with one

solution per graduated cylinder (Fill one with water and repeat for the second dialysis

tube)

4. Pour the solutions and pure water in the graduated cylinders into the open ends of the

dialysis tubing.

5. Fold each open end of the dialysis tubing in a down/across/down formation and tie a knot

with string in the center of the fold.

6. Place each dialysis tube on a scale and record the mass of the tubing before submerging

in the beakers.

7. Lower the water, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% into the four beakers filled with 200 mL of

pure water and then lower the remaining dialysis tubes containing pure water and 80%

glucose solution into the beaker with 200 mL of 60% glucose solution.

8. Let the tubing sit in the beaker for 3 minutes.

9. Take out dialysis tubing after 3 minutes, dry and weigh on a scale while recording the

results, in grams, finding the mass of the tubing and the change in mass from 0-3

minutes.

10. Place each tube back into their respective beakers and wait 3 more minutes.

11. After another 3 minutes, take out the tubes, dry and weigh them on a scale recording their

mass and their change in mass from from 3-6 minutes.

12. Place each tube back into their respective beakers and wait 3 more minutes.

13. After another 3 minutes, take out the tubes, dry and weigh them on a scale recording their

mass and their change in mass from 6-9 minutes.

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14. Clean up lab by throwing away dialysis tubing and pouring water and solution down the

drain resetting lab for later classes.

Procedure: Part 2

1. Obtain beaker and fill with 200 mL with pure water.

2. Obtain one dialysis tube and fold one in a down/across/down form tying a knot with

string in the middle of the fold.

3. Fill dialysis tube half way with starch and water solution then mix.

4. Fold the open end o the tube in a down/across/down formation and tie a knot in the center

of the fold with sting.

5. Using a pipette, place ten drops of liquid iodine into the beaker containing 200 mL of

pure water.

6. Place dialysis tubing into iodine solution and wait to see results.

7. Take out dialysis tubing and examine the tubing for any color change.

Procedure information can be found in Diffusion Through Cell Membrane packet.

Results: Part 1

In the lab the students measured the change in mass of simulated cells in an osmotic

environment. In the set water in water the change in mass increased by 208 mg and then

increased to 291 mg then decreased to 249 mg. For the set of 20% in water the change in mass

increased 317 mg then increased to 534 mg and ended by increasing to 701. For the set of 40% in
 Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 8

water, the change in mass increased by 408 mg, then increased to 800 mg and then increased

1108 mg. Also, for the set of 60% in water the change in mass increased to 567 mg, then

increased to 1009 mg, then increased again to 1409 mg. Next, the set of water in 60%, the

change in mass decreased by 150 mg, then decreased to 533 mg, and finally the change in mass

decreased 783 mg. Finally, the change in mass in the set of 80% in 60% increased 241 mg, then

increased to 316 mg and finally increased to 399 mg. The table below shows the change in mass

from the original to the newly measured mass. To get the numbers within the table the class took

the original change in mass and added the other changes in mass to show how much the mass has

increased or decreased from the original. The graph below shows the change in mass of the

dialysis tubing over time. This graph was made by placing the different changes in mass onto the

graph. The time is shown in minutes and the mass in shown in milligrams and the change is mass

from the original was shown.

Table 1: Change in mass over time with different osmotic environments

The table above shows the change in mass from the original to the newly measured mass.
To get the numbers within the table the class took the original change in mass and added the
other changes in mass to show how much the mass has increased or decreased from the original.
 Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 9

Mass of Bag v Time

2000

1500
Mass (Milligrams)

1000

500

0
0 3 6 9
-500

-1000
Time (Minutes)

Water in Water 20% in Water 40% in Water

60% in Water Water in 60% 80% in 60%

Figure 1: Change is mass of dialysis tubing versus time

The graph above shows the change in mass of the dialysis tubing over time. This graph
was made by placing the different changes in mass onto the line graph. The time is shown in
minutes and the mass in shown in milligrams and the change is mass from the original was
shown.

Results Part 2:

Inside the dialysis tubing, there was a change of color in the starch solution held inside

the dialysis tubing.

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Analysis:

From interpreting the data from the table, certain bags gained and/or lost weight during

the lab. This was because the simulated cells were placed into either a hypotonic environment or

a hypertonic environment. If the bag was placed into a hypotonic environment, this causes water

to rush into the call, thus the cell will weigh more. If the cell is placed to a hypertonic

environment water will rush out of the cell causing it to lose weight. The rate of osmosis

decreases as the cell gets closer to equilibrium. The rate of osmosis when there is a higher

concentration gradient is lower because the cell is closer to equilibrium compared to its

environment. When there is a lower concentration gradient the rate of osmosis is higher because

it is farther away from equilibrium. The 80/60 did not gain as much as the 20/0 because there is

less less water to pass through the membrane thus less weight change. The inside of the

simulated cell turned blue because the cell membrane was permeable to the iodine mixed with

the water causing the iodine to enter into the cell and mix with the starch, thus causing the inside

to turn blue. The dialysis tubing was selectively permeable to water in part 1. We know this

because we placed them in a hypotonic or a hypertonic environment and the only substance that

was able to enter the simulated cell was water. In part 2 the membrane was selectively permeable

to the water and iodine solution. We know this because when you mix water and iodine with

starch it turns a blue color which is what occurred inside the dialysis tubing. This is how we

know iodine entered the simulated cell. Four sources of error that could have occurred were that

the tubing was not dried off completely thus adding unnecessary weight and will mess up the

data. Also, the dialysis tubing could have been switched in the drying process which will give

you false data if not put back into the right beaker. Another source of error could have been from
 Osmosis Simulation Through the Cell Membrane 11

cross contamination. This could have occurred with the graduated cylinders or the pipettes, this

could have led to different amounts of starch within the dialysis tubing. Also, while putting the

solution into the dialysis tubing, some of it could have been stuck inside the pipette or graduated

cylinder causing there to be less solution then expected which could vary the results. Finally, one

thing that could have made this lab better would to use string that was cut to the same length and

to use something that would not absorb water so the data from the lab can be more accurate.
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Works Cited:

Inc., P. (2000). Osmotic environments. Retrieved April 29, 2018, from

http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/biomembrane1/solutions.html

Marketing, B. (2007). Cytolysis. Retrieved April 29, 2018, from

https://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Cytolysis

Studios, R. (1997). Passive Transport - Taking the Easy Road. Retrieved April 29, 2018, from

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell2_passivetran.html