Potato Osmolarity Lab
Take a look at the following two videos. The first video is a short video that serves as an overview of what you'll be doing. The second video is a walk through of what you're actually doing. You need to watch both of these videos before Monday as this counts as your lab prep. Today, you will label cups (0M, .25M, .50M, .75M, and 1.0M) and create your data table. On Monday, you will prep your potatoes and soak them overnight in their sugar water solutions. On Tuesday, you will observe the results of the overnight soak and finish your data table. You have to get the mass of the potatoes before AND after soaking, as well as document their texture (flimsy, hard or no change) before and after soaking.
Terms to know: solvent, solute, solution, osmosis, and tonicity.
Hypertonic solution: Higher solute concentration outside the membrane
Hypotonic solution: Lower solute concentration outside the membrane
Isotonic solution: Equal concentration of solute inside and outside the membrane.
Things to remember:
A potato is a plant and a root. It is very high in sugar content because roots store sugar in the form of starch. There is also some water. Plant cells have cell walls which keeps them structured.
Water moves from high to low concentration across cell membranes.
When the potato was placed in hypotonic solutions, this means that the potato was immersed in solutions that had a LOWER concentration outside the membrane. The water should move INTO the potato and make it swell. Swollen potatoes are hard and crisp.
Conversely, when the potato is placed in hypertonic solutions, it was put into solutions that have a HIGHER concentration outside the membrane. The water inside the potato will move OUT of the potato and make it shrink. Shrunken potatoes are flimsy.
When the potato is placed into isotonic solutions, this means that the water will move into and out of the potato at the same rate and there will be no structural change.
Your task is to determine which of the solutions would be considered hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic. Your analysis should include a description of each and the effects of each on the potato.
Your hypothesis is to determine the range of tonicity. In other words, make a prediction on which range of solutions would be considered hypotonic, which is isotonic, and which is hypertonic based on the change in your potatoes. Work backwards from this and determine an acceptable problem statement. The introduction should talk about osmosis and why it is important.
Your table and graph should be done in Excel. Your table is Table 1 and your graph is Figure 1. The graph should have a self-explanatory title. It should also include a line of best fit and the equation for the line of best fit. Use the equation to make predictions for solutions of 1.5M and 2M.
This is a physics forum that focuses on potato osmolarity. Use it as a reference.
Hypertonic solution: Higher solute concentration outside the membrane
Hypotonic solution: Lower solute concentration outside the membrane
Isotonic solution: Equal concentration of solute inside and outside the membrane.
Things to remember:
A potato is a plant and a root. It is very high in sugar content because roots store sugar in the form of starch. There is also some water. Plant cells have cell walls which keeps them structured.
Water moves from high to low concentration across cell membranes.
When the potato was placed in hypotonic solutions, this means that the potato was immersed in solutions that had a LOWER concentration outside the membrane. The water should move INTO the potato and make it swell. Swollen potatoes are hard and crisp.
Conversely, when the potato is placed in hypertonic solutions, it was put into solutions that have a HIGHER concentration outside the membrane. The water inside the potato will move OUT of the potato and make it shrink. Shrunken potatoes are flimsy.
When the potato is placed into isotonic solutions, this means that the water will move into and out of the potato at the same rate and there will be no structural change.
Your task is to determine which of the solutions would be considered hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic. Your analysis should include a description of each and the effects of each on the potato.
Your hypothesis is to determine the range of tonicity. In other words, make a prediction on which range of solutions would be considered hypotonic, which is isotonic, and which is hypertonic based on the change in your potatoes. Work backwards from this and determine an acceptable problem statement. The introduction should talk about osmosis and why it is important.
Your table and graph should be done in Excel. Your table is Table 1 and your graph is Figure 1. The graph should have a self-explanatory title. It should also include a line of best fit and the equation for the line of best fit. Use the equation to make predictions for solutions of 1.5M and 2M.
This is a physics forum that focuses on potato osmolarity. Use it as a reference.