To investigate the effect of sucrose solution on plant cells.

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To investigate the effect of sucrose solution on plant cells

Planning

I intend to investigate the effect of sucrose solution on plant cells.  To do this, I have chosen to use potatoes.  There are several advantages to using potatoes.  Potatoes are easy to cut and also have large vacuoles which mean it is easier to measure or track water movement because the changes will be significant.  The following diagram shows the structure of a potato cell:

Hypothesis

This investigation is based on the theory of osmosis.  Osmosis is the passage of water molecules from a high water potential into a lower water potential, through a partially permeable membrane.

In this case, the tiny holes in the membrane of the potatoes will permit water molecules to pass in and out of the solution and the potato, depending on the concentrations of the two substances. When the water concentration is lower in the tissue than in the potato, the water will enter the potato tissue, and as a result the potato will gain weight. If there is very little different in the two water concentrations, there shouldn’t be such a big change in weight. But if, however, there is a higher concentration of water in the potato, the water will leave the potato.  

When the concentration of water is higher in the potato, the water will be transferred from the cells of the potato to the solution outside and vice versa.


In the distilled water the water outside is more concentrated than the water in the potato, and the water should therefore transfer from the water to the potato, making the potato cells turgid and resulting in the potato chip becoming bigger in size and heavier in weight. The potato tissues, being surrounded by a weak solution, will be most likely to swell up and become turgid, taking in all the water it can possibly take in.

I predict that the higher the concentration of sucrose solution the more water will move out the potato chip and the lower the concentration the more that water will move into the cells.  I also predict that because of an increase in the amount of water in the cells of the potato chips in lower molarities, the mass will increase and for the potato chips in higher molarities the mass will therefore decrease.

Fair Testing

In order for me to get accurate results in this experiment, I have to consider fair testing.  Fair testing keeps all variables constant except the ones under investigation.  No potato chips are allowed to get more of a substance than another e.g. one potato is not allowed more light or heat than another one.  It is also correct to say that no potato chip is allowed anything that the others haven’t got and vice versa.

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Variables

  • Concentration of the sucrose solution - This will need to be changed in order to find out how the plant cells are affected by different concentrations of sucrose.

  • Light intensity – All the potato chips will be in the same room and the same place so although we will leave them in the room for 24 hours, they will all get the same amount of light intensity.
  • Same amount of sucrose solution placed in each test tube – This measure will be taken because even if the sucrose solution is dilute, if there is a ...

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