Investigating the Effects of Sugar Solution on Potato Cells.

Authors Avatar

Lewis Ormerwood

Investigating the Effects of Sugar Solution on Potato Cells

Plan

When water passes from a less concentrated sugar solution to a more concentrated sugar solution, this is called osmosis. The process is similar to diffusion.

For example:

The water inside the cell’s vacuole has a lower concentration of sugar and a higher concentration of water than the outside of the cell in the beaker where the sugar concentration is high and the water concentration is low. These factors allow osmosis to occur from the inside of the cell to the outside in the beaker.

Osmosis can be stopped by osmotic pressure (OP) being applied. Stronger sugar solutions require more osmotic pressure to prevent osmosis. Osmotic pressure is measured in kilo pascal’s (Kpa).

The letter M stands for Molar, which is the concentration of the solution.

Here are two example diagrams of osmosis in and out of a cell:

         Weak                                        Strong

                                                                                                                                        

Join now!

If we made a range of different sugar solutions with a different concentration of sugar and work out their Osmotic Pressure, we could use these solutions to find the Osmotic Pressure needed to prevent osmosis in potatoes.

We did some preliminary work earlier this year. We put three potato pieces in three different strengths of sugar solutions; 1M, 0.5M and distilled water. Before they were placed in the solutions they were weighed and their weight was recorded. Then the pieces were left over night in the solutions and then weighed again to calculate the difference in mass.

                

...

This is a preview of the whole essay