Diffusion And Osmosis Experiment 3: Osmosis - Direction And Concentration Gradients

Data Tables and Post-Lab Questions

Table 6: Sucrose Concentration vs. Tubing Permeability

Post-Lab Questions

1. For each of the tubing pieces, identify whether the solution inside was hypotonic, hypertonic, or isotonic in comparison to the beaker solution it was placed in. 

2. Which tubing increased the most in volume? Why? 

3. What does this tell you about the relative tonicity between the contents of the tubing and the solution in the beaker? 

4.  What would happen if the tubing with the yellow band was placed in a beaker of distilled water? 

5. Osmosis is how excess salts that accumulate in cells are transferred to the blood stream so they can be removed from the body. Explain how this process works in terms of tonicity. 

6. How is this experiment similar to the way a cell membrane works in the body? How is it different? Be spe­cific with your response. 

7. If you wanted water to flow out of a tubing piece filled with a 50% solution, what would the minimum con­centration of the beaker solution need to be? Explain your answer using scientific evidence.