Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 1

Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell

Kate Burke
Honors Biology pd 3
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic
April 30, 2018
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 2

Introduction

Osmosis is the spontaneous passage or diffusion of water or other solvents through a

semipermeable membrane. Water and other solvents can pass through the membrane of a cell if

it is semipermeable. There are three types of osmotic environments. Hypertonic, hypotonic, and

isotonic. A hypertonic environment is where there is a higher concentration of pure water

outside the cell, and water moves from the outside to the inside of the cell. A hypotonic

environment is one where there is a higher concentration of pure water inside the cell. Water

moves from the inside of the cell to the outside. An isotonic environment is a point of

equilibrium. There is an equal concentration of water on the inside and the outside of the cell.

Water flows evenly through an isotonic environment. (Glencoe Science) Osmosis is important in

real world scenarios when it comes to understanding dialysis. Dialysis is critical to patients with

kidney failure. Dialysis is when a fake kidney takes all the garbage out of the patients’ blood.

Osmosis is important here because only certain things are able to pass through the cell and the

garbage in the blood is moving from a point of higher concentration to inside the cell to a point

of lower concentration. (Shi, 2009) Dialysis tubing is a semi-permeable membrane, that can be

made of cellulose acetate. It is used in dialysis, a process which involves the removal of very

small molecular mass solutes from a solution. (Sigma-Aldrich, 2013) It is important in the lab

because it served as a visible representation of a semi permeable cell. Students were able to see

the changes when solutions move through the cell. The purpose of this lab was to see a visual

example of dialysis in a cell, to see what solutes can pass through a cell, and to develop a deeper

understanding of how a semi-permeable membrane can work. It is difficult to fully understand

how dialysis in a cell works when all you have is a definition; a visual demonstration gives a

more thorough understanding. Some solutes can pass through the membrane easier than others
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 3

and that was made evident when students saw a mass difference after being in the beaker.

Students prepared the lab by creating different osmotic environments in beakers. Beaker 1

represented an isotonic environment where there was an equal amount of pure water inside the

cell, and outside. Beaker 2 represented a hypotonic environment. Beaker 2 was 20% glucose in

water, and there was a higher concentration of pure water outside the cell. Beaker 3 represented

a hypotonic environment. Beaker 3 was 40% glucose in water, and there was a higher

concentration of water outside the cell. Beaker 4 represents a hypotonic environment. Beaker 4

was 60% glucose in water, and there was a higher concentration of water outside the cell.

Beaker 5 represents a hypertonic environment and a hypotonic environment. Beaker 5 had two

dialysis tubes, water in 60% and 80% in 60%. There is a greater concentration of water inside

the cell for the 60%, and a greater concentration of water outside the cell for the 80%. (Glencoe

Science) My hypothesis for part one is that if dialysis tubing is placed in a hypotonic

environment, it will decrease in mass, if dialysis tubing is in a hypertonic environment, it will

increase in mass, if dialysis tubing is place in an isotonic environment, the mass should stay the

same. My hypothesis for part two is that if iodine is place in the beaker, it will move inside the

cell. The dependent variable for part one is the mass of the dialysis tubing at each interval. The

independent variable is the glucose solution inside the dialysis tubing. Another independent

variable could be the solution outside the cell. A constant for part one would be the amount of

solutions inside the cell and outside. The control group for part one would be the water in water

beaker. Beakers 2, 3, 4, and 5 would be the experimental groups. The independent variable for

part two is the amount of starch in the dialysis tubing. The dependent variable is the color of the

beaker. The constants for part two would be the amount of cornstarch, the amount of water in
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 4

the beaker, and the amount of iodine. There is no control group or experimental group for part

two.

Materials

 5 dialysis tubes

 500ml beakers x4

 water

 12 strings

 Pipette

 Cornstarch

 Iodine

 20% glucose solution

 40% glucose solution

 60% glucose solution

 80% glucose solution

Procedures

Part 1:

1. Prepare dialysis tubing.

a. Fold the top of the dialysis tubing down, then fold across, and fold down again

b. Tie string around the folded top of the dialysis tubing .

i. repeat steps 1-2 x6.

c. Using pipette, pour 5 ml of pure water into dialysis tubing.

d. Fold remaining open end of dialysis tubing over three times.

 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 5

e. Tie string around the end of the dialysis tubing.

f. Using pipette, pour 5 ml of 20% glucose solution into dialysis tubing.

i. Repeat steps d and e.

g. Using pipette, pour 5 ml of 40% glucose into dialysis tubing.

i. Repeat steps d and e.

h. Using pipette, pour 60% glucose solution into dialysis tubing.

i. Repeat steps d and e.

i. Using pipette, pour 5 ml of pure water into dialysis tubing.

i. Repeat steps d and e.

j. Using pipette, pour 5 ml of 80% glucose solution into dialysis tubing.

i. Repeat steps d and e.

2. Prepare Beakers

a. Fill beaker with 200 ml of pure water 4x.

b. Fill remaining beaker with 60% glucose solution.

3. Weigh dialysis tubes.

4. Simultaneously, drop dialysis tubing into corresponding beaker: Dialysis tubing w/ water

in water, dialysis tubing w/ 20% glucose solution in water, dialysis tubing w/ 40%

glucose solution in water, dialysis tubing w/ water in 60% glucose solution, dialysis

tubing w/ 80% glucose solution in 60% glucose solution.

5. Take out dialysis tubing at 3 minutes, weigh, and put back into beaker.

6. Repeat step 5 at 6 minutes and 9 minutes.

7. Calculate mass change from 0-3, 0-6, 0-9 min

 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 6

Part 2:

1. fill beaker halfway with pure water.

2. Create simulated cell (dialysis tubing).

a. Fold top of dialysis tubing down, fold across, and fold top down again.

b. Tie string around the folded top of the dialysis tubing.

c. Pour half spoonful of starch into dialysis tubing.

d. Pour water into dialysis tubing.

3. Put cell into beaker of pure water.

4. Pour 20 drops of iodine into the beaker.

5. Goal: to see what the dialysis tubing is permeable to.

(Sigma-Aldrich, 2013)

Results:

These are the results for part one of the lab: After 0 minutes, there was no change in the mass of

dialysis tubing. After three minutes, the mass of the water dialysis tubing in water increased by

.208 g. After three minutes, the mass of the 20% glucose solution dialysis tubing in water

increased by .317 g. After three minutes, the mass of the 40% glucose solution dialysis tubing

increased by.408 g. After three minutes, the mass of the 60% glucose solution dialysis tubing in

water increased by .567 g. After three minutes, the mass of the water dialysis tubing in 60%

glucose solution decreased by .15 g. After three minutes, the mass of the 80% glucose solution

dialysis tubing in 60% glucose solution increased by .214 g. After six minutes, the mass of the

water dialysis tubing in a water solution increased by .291 g. After six minutes, the mass of the

20% glucose solution dialysis tubing increased by .534 g. After six minutes, the mass f the 40%
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 7

glucose solution dialysis tubing in a water solution increased by .8 g. After six minutes, the mass

of the 60% glucose solution dialysis tubing in a water solution increased by 1.009 g. After six

minutes, the mass of the water dialysis tubing in 60% glucose solution decreased by .533 g.

After six minutes, the mass of the 80% glucose solution dialysis tubing in 60% glucose solution

increased by .316 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the water dialysis tubing in a water solution

increased by .249 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the 20% glucose solution in water increased

by .701 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the 40% glucose solution dialyisis tubing in water

inceased by 1.108 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the 60% glucose solution dialysis tubing in

water increased by 1.409 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the water dialysis tubing in 60%

glucose solution decreased by .783 g. After nine minutes, the mass of the 80% glucose solution

dialysis tubing in 60% glucose solution increased by .399 g.

Table 1: Mass of Dialysis Tubing (g)

Time Water in 20% in 40% in 60% in Water in 80% in

Water Water Water Water 60% 60%

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 .208 .317 .408 .567 -.15 .241

6 .291 .534 .8 1.009 -.533 .316

9 .249 .701 1.108 1.409 -.783 .399

The chart shows the change in mass of dialysis tubing from 0 to 9 minutes. The dialysis tubing
was weighed after three minutes, six minutes, and nine minutes. Students recorded the change in
mass from the initial wiegh in to the final weigh in. The change in measurements taken were
added together and divided by the number of measurements taken to find the average.
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 8

Chart 1: Mass of Dialysis Tubing ( g. vs min.)

Mass vs Time
2

1.5
Series1
1
Series2
Mass (g)

0.5 Series3
Series4
0
0 3 6 9 Series5
-0.5 Series6

-1
Time (min)

The graph above shows the change in mass of the dialysis tubing since the original weigh in.
Dialysis tubing was weighed every three minutes after being in a glucose or water solution.

These are the results for part two of the lab: After a few days of the cornstrach dialysis tubing

sitting in an iodine solution, the dialysis tubing had a blue/purple cornstarch solution.

Discussion:
The dialysis cells in hypotonic environments would decrease in mass while the dialysis cells in

hypertonic environments increased in mass. Dialysis cells one, two, three , four, an six all

increase in mass because they were the hypertonic cells. The hypertonic cells have a higher

concentration of pure water outside the cell, so water moves from the outside of the cell to the

inside of the cell. The hypotonic cells decreased in mass because there was a higher

concentration of pure water inside the cell. This was evident in dialysis cell five, water moved

frm the inside of the cell to the outside. The rate of osmosis slows down as it gets closer to

equillibrium because both sides are evening out with the concentration of pure water so there is

no need to move away from the pure water. The rate of osmosis speeds up when there is a high
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 9

concentration gradient because it is trying to reach a point of equillibrium, but there is a lot of

glucose solution. The rate of osmosis slows down when there is a lower concentration gradient

because there is less glucose to reach equillibrium. The 80/60 stimulated cell did not gain as

much mass from 0-3 minutes as the 20/0 stimulated cell because the 80/60 cell did not have as

much pure water to reach equillibrium, the 20/0 stimulated cell was able to freely go through the

cell membrane without a glucose solution being in the way. The inside of the stimulated cell

turned blue in part two of the lab because the dialysis tubing was permeable to iodine. The

iodine was able to pass through the cell membrane and into the cell where it turned the inside of

the cell blue. After the lab, it was evident that dialysis tubing was permeable to water and iodine

and it was not permeable to glucose solution or corn starch. Some sources of error could be the

lack of exact measurememts for part two. For part one, some sources of error could be not

wiping off the dialysis tubing and includeing the mass of the solute on the outside of the tubing.

Another source could be incorrect measurements, it is difficult to know what other students

wrote down as their measurements. Another potential source of error could be the lack of time

the dialysis tubing sat in the solutions. A final source of error could be the slight difference in

timing when the dialysis tubes were removed from the beakers. One change students could make

to the lab would be to write the procedures as the lab was taking place, and to have entire groups

interact with part two.

Conclusion

The lab was succesful in showing students a real life example of dialysis in a cell. It served as a

very effective visual aid. In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct that the hypertonic

environments would increase in mass and the hypotonic environments would decrease in mass.

My hypothesis was incorrect that an isotonic environment would not change mass.
 Visual Representation of Dialysis in the Cell 10

References:

Britannica, T. E. (1998, July 20). Osmosis Chemical Process. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
Britanica: https://www.britannica.com/science/osmosis
Glencoe Science. (n.d.). Biology. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill.
Shi, Y. (2009, September 9). Osmosis- Real Life Applications. Retrieved from Science Clarified:
http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-2/Osmosis-Real-
life-applications.html
Sigma-Aldrich. (2013, Jan 17). Dialysis Tubing. Retrieved from Sigma Aldrich:
https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/articles/labware/dialysis-tubing.html