An investigation into the isotonic point of Potatoes

The first 200 words of this essay...

An investigation into the isotonic point of Potatoes

P

Introduction:

In this experiment I will be trying to find out the isotonic point of potatoes. This is a point where the concentrations of water inside and outside the potato cells are equal. Water gets into or out of various cells by Osmosis.

(Hypothesis) Osmosis is the net movement of water or any other solutions molecules from a region in which they are highly concentrated to a region in which they are less concentrated. This movement must take place across a partially permeable membrane such as a cell wall, which lets smaller molecules such as water through but does not allow bigger molecules to pass through. The molecules will continue to diffuse until the area in which the molecules are found reaches a state of equilibrium, meaning that the molecules are randomly distributed throughout an object, with no area having a higher or lower concentration than any other.

Water potential is a measure of whether a solution is likely to gain or lose water molecules from another solution. A dilute solution, with its high proportion of free water molecules is said