Name:_____________________( ) Class:__________ Date:__________

Diffusion and Osmosis Chapter 2

At the end of the chapter, students should be able to:

1. Define diffusion and describe its role in nutrient uptake and gaseous exchange in
plants and humans.

2. Define osmosis and describe the effects of osmosis on plant and animal tissues.

      

 The plasma membrane is partially permeable  only allows certain substances to

pass through

 Substances cross the plasma membrane, leaving or entering cell by diffusion,

osmosis and active transport.

Diffusion and osmosis 1

 Surface Area to Volume Ratio

 Why are most cells microscopic?

 Why are all large organisms made up of many cells but not just one cell?

Total surface area

(height x width x 6 250 750
number of sides x
number of boxes)

Total volume 1 125 125

(height x width x
length x number of
boxes)

Surface-area-to- 6 1.2 6
volume ratio (area ÷
volume)

In the diagram, cells are represented as boxes

 As the size of cell increases to 5 units of length per side in (b), the ratio of
surface area to volume ratio decreases compared to the smaller cell (a)

 In a large cell (b), rates of movement of materials across cell membranes are
needed to meet the needs of cell may not be enough because most of the
cytoplasm is far away from the cell membrane

 By dividing large cell to many small cells in (c), a high surface area to volume
ratio can be restored. This can serve each cell’s need for getting nutrients and
remove waste products

 That is why larger organisms do not generally have larger cells than smaller
organisms, but more cells.

Diffusion and osmosis 2

 Diffusion

 Molecules of oxygen are moving about all the time. Molecules of a liquid, or a
substance like sugar dissolved in water also move around.

 The movement cause molecules to spread themselves out evenly to fill all the
available space

 Diffusion  movement of molecules from a region of _______________

concentration to a region of _________________ concentration, down a
concentration gradient.

 Concentration gradient  difference between high concentration and low

concentration

 Diffusion ________________________________.

 Diffusion also occurs in liquids.

o When you add a drop of red ink to a beaker of water, the ink spread slowly
throughout the water without stirring.

o Water in beaker becomes evenly red

Diffusion and osmosis 3

 Rate of diffusion depends on:

o Concentration gradient

 The greater the difference in concentrations between two regions of a

substance, the faster the rate of diffusion  __________________
diffusion gradient, faster diffusion

o Distance over which diffusion takes place

 Shorter distance between the 2 regions of concentration,

__________________ rate of diffusion

o Area over which diffusion takes place

 Larger surface area, ___________________ rate of diffusion.

 Diffusion surfaces have structures for increasing surface area where

they exchange material. Eg. Microvilli on cells lining the intestine.

o Size and nature of diffusion molecules

 Small molecules dissolve ____________________

 Molecules that dissolve in fats diffuse _____________________

through cell membranes than molecules that dissolve in water.

Diffusion and osmosis 4

Importance of diffusion

 Diffusion an important way which substances move in and out of cells. In booth plant
and animal cells, gases are exchanged through diffusion

 Examples:

o Presence of millions of alveoli in the lungs provides very large surface area
for gaseous exchange

o In plants, carbon dioxide diffuses in through the stomata during

photosynthesis and oxygen diffuses out

o In a one-celled organism called Amoeba, _________________ diffuses in

and __________________ diffuses out of it.

Osmosis

 The figure shows a concentrated sugar solution, separated from a dilute sugar
solution by a partially permeable membrane.

o This membrane only allows _________________ molecules but not the larger
sugar molecules to pass through

Diffusion and osmosis 5

 Water then diffuses from _____________ solution (more water molecules) into more
____________________ solution (less water molecules) through partially permeable
membrane.

 Process  osmosis

o Definition: movement of ____________________________ from region of their

_______________ concentration to a region of their _______________
concentration, through a partially permeable membrane.

Water potential

 Water potential of solution  whether the solution lose water molecules or gain
water molecules from another solution

 Pure water has highest water potential

 Another way of defining osmosis  movement of water molecules from a region of

__________________ water potential to a region of _________________ water
potential, through a partially permeable membrane.

Importance of osmosis in the uptake of water by plants

 Plants absorb water from soil through root hairs.

 The __________________ is usually less concentrated than ______________ in

vacuole of root hair cell

 Water moves into root hair cell by _____________, from higher water potential to
lower water potential through partially permeable membrane (plasma membrane of
root hair cell.

 Water passes from one cell to another by _______________ until it reaches the
xylem vessels.

Effect of Osmosis on Plant Cells

 The effects of osmosis on plant cells can be observed by placing them in

a) Water

b) Concentrated sugar or salt solution (more concentrated than the cell sap in
the vacuole)

Diffusion and osmosis 6

In solution of high water potential or
pure distilled water
1. water _______________ cell by
osmosis
2. vacuole _______________ in size
3. cell contents are pushed against the
cellulose cell wall
4. the cell wall prevents over expansion
of the cell by exerting an opposing
pressure preventing the entry of more
water
5. the cell becomes ______________
6. the plant cell does not _____________
because the cell wall is tough
Diffusion and osmosis
In solution with low water potential
1. water _____________ cell by
osmosis
2. vacuole ______________ in size
3. cytoplasm shrinks away the
cellulose cell wall and it stops
pushing outwards on the cell wall
4. the cell becomes ______________
5. as more water is lost, the cytoplasm
shrinks further into the centre of the
cell but the cell wall is too stiff to
shrink much
6. the cell membrane surrounding the
cytoplasm tears away from the cell
wall. The cell is ________________
7. Plasmolysis occurs when a plant cell
is placed in a concentrated solution.
7
 Effect of Osmosis on Animal Cells

 The effect of osmosis on animal cells can be shown by putting red blood cells in

a) Water

b) Strong salt solution (more concentrated than the cytoplasm)

Strong salt solution water

 In water

 Water ___________________ cell by osmosis

 Cells become larger and burst

 In strong salt solution

 Water _________________ cell by osmosis

 Cells shrink

Active Transport

 Requires energy (from respiration)

 Enables cell to transport substances from a region of __________________

concentration to a region of ___________________ concentration.

 Example of active transport

o Root hair cells take in mineral salts from soil although the soil may not have a
lot of mineral salts

Diffusion and osmosis 8