Week 1: Physiology Lab

Exercise 1: Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability

Agustina Bibb
Lab Summary Worksheet
Directions: Read the following directions before starting the lab.
Before starting each lab Activity, read the Overview and Introduction. This
information will help you understand what you are doing in the lab. You do not
have to pdf your lab the only thing that you will submit for grading is this lab
report. You will have to answer the Stop and Think Questions that are embedded
in the lab instructions. You will not be graded on those questions; however, they
will increase your understanding. Download this report, type your answers in
Blue or highlight your answers after each question. Save the Lab Report again
and upload it to the course.
Activity 1: Simulating Dialysis (Simple Diffusion) (20 points total)
Notes:
MWCO is the molecular weight cut-off for a membrane. Any solute with a
molecular weight greater than the MWCO of a particular membrane will not
diffuse through the membrane on its own; an outside force such as active
transport or facilitated diffusion must occur.
After reading the Overview and Introduction, Click on Experiment.
Follow the directions on the left side of the menu to complete the lab. Use the
data chart to answer the following questions. You do not have to submit your lab
to be recorded.
Chart 1: Dialysis Results (average diffusion rate in mM/min) 2 pts
Solute
MWCO
Solute
Avg Diffusion
Concentration Rate
NaCI
20
9.00
0.0000
Urea
20
9.00
0.0000
NaCI
50
9.00
0.0150
NaCI
50
18.00
0.0300
NaCI
100
9.00
0.0150
Urea
100
9.00
0.0094
Glucose
200
9.00
0.0040
Albumin
200
9.00
0.0000

2012 Laureate Education, Inc.

Lab Analysis Questions (3 pts each)

1. As the MWCO of the membrane increased, did the number of solutes able to
diffuse through the membrane increase or decrease? Explain your answer.
Solutes moving across the membranes increased because the larger the MWCO, the
faster the solutes can diffuse. Bigger particles can diffuse when the MWCO is large.
2. Identify the solute with the highest molecular weight and justify your answer
based on the results in the table.
Albumin is the solute with the highest molecular weight because it did not diffuse
through any of the MWCO.
3. Did the rate of diffusion for NaCl increase as the MWCO of the membrane
increased? Why or why not?
The rate of diffusion for NaCI increased because particles were able to diffuse faster
through larger MWCO.
Connections to Human Physiology (3 pts each)
4. In future units, you will explore respirationthe diffusion of oxygen and carbon
dioxide across respiratory membranes such as those found in the lungsbut the
principles of diffusion in this laboratory provide some insight on that process now.
The molecular weight of carbon dioxide is 44.01g/mol and the molecular weight
of oxygen is 32g/mol. Of the membranes used in this lab, which has the smallest
MWCO that would allow oxygen to diffuse in and carbon dioxide to diffuse out of
the bloodstream? Explain your answer.
The membrane with the smallest MWCO is NaCI because it can diffuse at 0.0150
diffusion rate at the 50 MWCO.
5. What is the primary physiological complication for an individual born with a
genetic abnormality resulting in a respiratory membrane with a MWCO of 37
g/mol?
The individual would have a hard time breathing because oxygen would diffuse in slowly
and carbon dioxide could not diffuse out of the membrane.
6. Carbon Monoxide has a molecular weight of 28.01/g/mol. If carbon monoxide is
present in an environment, would it diffuse into the bloodstream faster, slower, or
at the same rate as oxygen? Explain your answer.
2012 Laureate Education, Inc.

Carbon Monoxide would diffuse faster than oxygen because the Carbon Monoxide has
a smaller molecular weight. For this reason, it will diffuse faster trough the MWCO.

Activity 3: Simulating Osmotic Pressure (20 points total)

Notes:
Particles and solutes move across a cell membrane primarily to maintain
equilibrium or homeostasis. In simple diffusion, the solute moves across the
membrane if the solute is small enough to fit through the pore size. If the solute is
too large, water moves across the membrane instead.
After reading the Overview and Introduction, Click on Experiment.
Follow the directions on the left side of the menu to complete the lab. Use the
data chart to answer the following questions. You do not have to submit your lab
to be recorded.
Chart 2: Osmosis Results (pressure in mm Hg) 2 pts
Run #
Solute
MWCO Start
Press. Start
Press. Rate
Conc. L
L
Conc. R
R
1
NaCI
20
5.00
170
0.00
0
0.0000
2
NaCI
20
10.00
340
0.00
0
0.0000
3
NaCI
50
10.00
0
0.00
0
0.0167
4
Glucose 100
8.00
136
0.00
0
0.0000
5
Glucose 100
8.00
0
8.00
0
0.0000
6
Glucose 200
8.00
0
0.00
0
0.0036
7
Albumin 200
9.00
153
0.00
0
0.0000
Glucose 200
0.00
153
10.00
0
0.0044
Lab Analysis Questions (3 pts each)
1. What conditions result in an increase in pressure in one of the beakers? Does
this pressure increase when the solute concentration increases?
The pressure increases as the solute concentration increases.
2. In two separate experiments, an identical concentration of Na +Cl is placed in
beaker A and deionized water is placed in beaker B. Assume both beakers
contain the same volume of liquid. In the first experiment, the pressure in Beaker
A increases significantly, while the pressure in Beaker B is unchanged at 0 mm
Hg. In the second experiment, the pressure in both beakers holds steady at 0
2012 Laureate Education, Inc.

mm Hg. What factor is likely responsible for the different outcomes in the
experiments?
3. Which way does water diffuse: towards solutes or away from solutes? Why does
water move in either direction?
Water diffuses toward the higher solute concentration to equalize the concentration on
both sides of the membrane. Water can move in any direction because membranes are
permeable.
Connections to Human Physiology (3 pts each)
4. If a person ingested too much salt and the amount of salt increased in the blood,
which of the following terms would best describe the bloodstream: isotonic,
hypertonic, or hypotonic? Would water move into or out of the red blood cells
(RBC) to maintain equilibrium?
The bloodstream would be hypertonic. Water would move out of the cells in order ot
balance the concentration of the solutes.
5. A person stranded on an island surrounded by saltwater is overwhelmed by
thirst. He decides to drink a little bit of the saltwater each day to try and hydrate
his body. What effect, if any, will this have on his blood?
Cell membranes are semipermeable to solutes and salt is not able to diffuse in and out
of the cell easily. When the salt concentration is higher outside the cell than inside,
water diffuses to balance the concentration on both sides, to an isotonic state. The body
struggles to eliminate the excess of sodium by secreting urine. This leads to
dehydration.
6. A woman is admitted to the emergency room because the tissues in her legs are
retaining water. She is diagnosed with severe pitting edemaany pressure
applied to the swollen tissue leaves a temporary indentation or pit in the tissue,
even when the pressure is removed. What type of solution may be administered
to alleviate the symptoms of this patient? Explain your answer.
The patient needs an hypertonic solution to alleviate the symptoms. The high
concentration of salt inside the cell needs a hypertonic solution to decrease the amount
of solutes.

2012 Laureate Education, Inc.