Exploration of Osmosis Lab

Dominic Dezort

Honors Biology period 5

North Catholic High School

April 16, 2019

Introduction
Passive transport is the movement of ions and molecules through the selectively permeable

membrane of a cell without the cell requiring the use of energy like ATP from a high

concentration to a low concentration of water. The selectively permeable membrane regulates

which substances, and how much of the substance, can enter or leave the cell at a given time.

Passive transport has three main types, simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis (Khan

Academy, 2019, p. 1). This lab focused on osmosis and the different osmotic environments.

Osmosis is the diffusion of water or other solvents through the cell membrane (Augustyn, 2019,

p. 1). The osmotic environments are hypotonic environment, hypertonic environment, and

isotonic environment. A hypotonic solution occurs when there is more water outside of the cell

and moves into the cell, and hypertonic solution is the opposite. It occurs when there is more

water inside of the cell, causing the water to move out. An isotonic solution occurs when there is

an equal distribution of solute and water both inside and outside the cell (Biggs et al, 2012, pp.

204-205). Osmosis is important to understand for real world purposes because it regulates the

movement of water across the cell membrane making it important factor in maintaining

homeostasis within the cell.

The lab used dialysis tubing to represent the selectively permeable membrane. Dialysis

tubing is a semi-permeable tubing that can be used for separation techniques (Khan Academy,

2019, p. 2). The lab was broken up into two different parts, both using dialysis tubing. The

purposes of part one of the lab was to demonstrate how osmosis works and show how different

concentration gradiences effect the rate of osmosis. The purpose of part two of the lab was to see

if the dialysis tubing is permeable to other substances.

 The first part of the lab was setup to have six beakers, four of them filled with 200 mL of

water, and two of them filled with 200 mL of a 60% glucose solution. Each beaker had a five mL

bag of dialysis tubing, each containing a different solution inside (Diffusion through cell

membranes, 2019, p. 2). Beaker one simulates a cell in an isotonic environment, beakers two,

three, four, and six simulate a cell in a hypotonic environment and beaker five simulates a cell in

a hypertonic environment. The second part of the lab was set up to have one beaker filled with 200

mL of tap and 20 drops of iodine. Inside the beaker, it had a dialysis tubing bag with five mL of

water and one teaspoon of starch solution (Diffusion through cell membranes, 2019, p. 3). The

beaker simulated other substances passing through the cell membrane.

The dependent variable for part one of the lab was the mass of the dialysis tubing after they

were placed into the beakers. The independent variable for part one was the liquid that the dialysis

tubing was placed into to. The constants were the amount of water in the beakers, the amount of

time each bag of dialysis tubing was in the water, and the amount of time each bag was dried in

between intervals. The control group in part one was the beaker filled with water that had the

dialysis tubing filled with water and the experimental group for part one was the rest of the beakers

with the different solutions in them. The dependent variable for part two of the lab was the color

change in the bag and in the beaker. The independent variable for part two was the time that the

bag was inside the beaker. The constants in part two were the amount of iodine in the beaker, the

amount of starch place into the bag and the amount of water that was in the beaker. The control

group in part two was part one of the lab and the experimental group was part two of the lab.

For part one of the lab, a good hypothesis was if dialysis tubing with a higher concentration

of glucose was placed in water, then the amount of mass will increase when pulled out of the

beaker (Diffusion Through Cell Membranes, 2019, p. 2). For part two of the lab, a good hypothesis
was if iodine is dropped into a beaker full of water, then it will pass through the selectively

permeable dialysis tubing changing the color of the solution inside the bag (Diffusion Through

Cell Membranes, 2019, p. 3).

Materials
Part one:

• 5 pieces of dialysis tubing

• 10 mL of tap water

• 5 mL of 20% starch solution

• 5 mL of 40% starch solution

• 5 mL of 60% starch solution

• 5 mL of 80% starch solution

• 4 glass beakers filled with 200 mL of water

• 2 glass beakers filled with 200 mL of 60% glucose

• Stop watch

• Glass weighing dish

• String

• Scissors

• Scratch paper

• Paper towels
Part two:

• 1 piece of dialysis tubing

• 5 mL of water

• 1 teaspoon of starch solution

• 1 glass beaker filled with 200 mL of water

• 20 drops of iodine

• Paper towels

• Scissors

• Glass weighing dish

• Scratch paper

Procedures
Part one:

1. Acquire 6 pieces of dialysis tubing that have been soaked in water overnight. Fold one

end of the tubing over about 1 inch from the end and tie a knot around the tube with a

string. Secure the knot so the bag will not leak and but the excess string off. DO NOT tie

the bag so it is stretched tight.

2. Fill bag 1 with 5 mL full of tap water. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie the open

end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with the number 1 above it.

3. Fill bag 2 with 5 mL full of 20% starch solution. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie

the open end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with the number 2

above it.
 4. Fill bag 3 with 5 mL full of 40% starch solution. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie

the open end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with the number 3

above it.

5. Fill bag 4 with 5 mL full of 60% starch solution. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie

the open end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with number 4 above it.

6. Fill bag 5 with 5 mL full of tap water. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie the open

end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with the number 5 above it.

7. Fill bag 6 with 5 mL full of 80% starch solution. After the bag is filled, close, fold and tie

the open end of the bag. Place the bag on a piece of scratch paper with the number 6

above it.

8. Use a glass weighing dish to obtain the mass of each bag separately. Record the mass of

each bag on a piece of scratch paper.

9. Drop the bags in the beakers at the same time.

10. Place bags 1-4 in separate glass beakers full of 200 mL of water.

11. Place bags 5 and 6 in separate glass beakers full of 200 mL of 60% glucose solution.

12. At the end of each interval of 5, 10, and 15 minute period, remove the bags from the

beakers.

13. Dry off each bag and carefully weigh each beaker to the nearest gram.

14. Record the new mass of each bag in a table.

15. Place bags back into their beakers at the same time.

16. Repeat steps 13-15 for each interval of time until all the results have been gathered.

The procedure was based off the one given in the packet. (Diffusion through Cell Membranes,

2019, p. 2).
Part two:

1. Obtain 1 piece of dialysis tubing. Fold one end of the tubing over about 1 inch and tie a

knot over the fold with a string.

2. Fill the dialysis tubing with 5 mL full of tap water.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of starch solution to the tube.

4. Fold the end as before and tie a knot over the fold. Make sure the bag is sealed to prevent

leaks

5. Rinse the bag of any excess water and dry it with a paper towel. Sit the bag aside to let it

dry off.

6. Fill a beaker full of 200 mL of tap water and add 20 drops of iodine.

7. Weigh the bag on a glass weighing dish before inserting.

8. Place the bag into the beaker and mark the starting color of the bag and the beaker.

9. Bring the beaker to the teacher and let it sit overnight.

10. Observe the color change the next day and mark down what the color is.

The procedure was based off the one given in the packet. (Diffusion through Cell Membranes,

2019, p. 3).

Results
Part one:
Bag 1 had a rapid increase in mass from 0 to 5 minutes. After that, the bag seemed to level off

and stay at a constant rate of mass. Bag 2 increased in mass at a constant rate from 0 to 15

minutes. At 15 to 20 minutes, the bag increased at a lower rate and started to level off. Bag 3 had

a rapid increase from 0 to 5 minutes and then started to increase at a slower rate at 5 to 15
minutes. The bag leveled off when it hit the 15 to 20 minutes mark, staying around the same

mass. Bag 4 had a steady increase in mass from 0 to 15 minutes. When the bag hit the 15 to 20

minutes mark it started to level off, staying around the same mass. Bag 5 increased in mass

between 0 to 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the bag decreased in mass at a constant rate. Bag 6 had

a rapid increase in mass from 0 to 5 minutes. From 5 minutes to 15 minutes, the bag had

relatively the same mass and from 15 to 20 minutes, there was a rapid increase in mass.

Table 1: Mass changes over a 20-minute period

Time (min) Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag 3 Bag 4 Bag 5 Bag 6
0 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5.33 5.2 5.59 5.33 5.22 5.55
10 5.419 5.337 5.89 5.64 4.98 5.555
15 5.439 5.519 6.107 5.869 4.79 5.585
20 5.459 5.559 6.227 6.009 4.49 5.771
Description: The data above shows the change in mass of each bag in grams after each time
interval. Each bag starts out of having a mass of 5 grams. At each time interval, the bag was
taken out and weighed. The data in the graph is an average of everyone in the class’s data, so this
data is not exactly what everyone got.
 mass of dialysis tubing vs time
6.5

5.5
mass (g)

4.5

4
0 5 10 15 20
time (min)

Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag 3 Bag 4 Bag 5 Bag 6

Figure 1: Mass of Dialysis Tubing vs Time

Description: The data in the figure above was taken from table 1. This is a graph of the data from
table 1 to provide a visual of the increases and decreases of mass.
Part two:
The starting color of the solution in the dialysis bag was white. After 24 hours, the color turned

to a dark purple. The starting color of the solution in the beaker was yellow and after 24 hours,

the color of the solution was clear.

Table 2: Cell Model Permeability Data

Starting color Color after 24 hours
Solution in dialysis bag White Dark purple
Solution in beaker `yellow Clear
Description: The starting color of each item was recorded into the table and then the bag was
placed into the beaker. The bag sat in the beaker for 24 and then it was taken out to be examined.
The color of the solution in the beaker and the bag was recorded after being examined.

Discussion
Part one of the lab had many expected results, but it also had a few unexpected results as well. In

set up 1, there is a rapid increase from 0 to 5 minutes. This is unexpected because the bag is

supposed to be around the same mass throughout the lab because it is in an isotonic environment.

(Diffusion Through Cell Membranes, 2019, p. 3). This rapid increase was most likely caused

because there was human error while tying the bag, and it was not tied tight enough. The bag not

being tied tight enough would lead to leaks and the water could flow out of the bag at a faster

rate. From 10 to 20 minutes, the bag stayed relatively around the same mass, which was

expected. In setup 2, the bag was dropped into a hypotonic environment. From 0 to 15 minutes,

the bag increased at a constant rate, and after that the mass of the bag started to level out, this is

because the bag was getting closer to equilibrium. These results were expected. In setup 3, there

was a rapid increase in the first 5 minutes and then from 5 to 15 minutes there was a slower

increase in mass. At 15 to 20 minutes the mass of the bag started to level off due to it reaching a

state of equilibrium. (Diffusion Through Cell Membranes, 2019, p. 3). In setup 4, the bag was

dropped in a hypotonic environment and the mass increased at a slow rate in the first 15 minutes.

From 15 to 20 minutes the mass increased at an even slower rate and started to hit a state of

equilibrium. These results were expected and there was not a source of error. (Biggs et al, 2012,

p. 204). In setup 5, the bag was put into a hypertonic state. There was an increase in mass in the

first 5 minutes which was unexpected. (Biggs et al, 2012, p. 205). This unexpected increase in

mass was caused by the bag not being tied tight enough. After 5 minutes the mass decreased at a

constant rate but did not have enough time to reach equilibrium. In setup 6, the bag was placed in

a hypotonic environment. The first 5 minutes had a rapid increase of mass and then after that

until 15 minutes the mass stayed relatively the same. The mass leveling off is strange because it
did not fully hit a state of equilibrium due to the movement of water. (Khan Academy, 2019, pp.

1-2). After 15 minutes the mass rapidly increased. These results were expected.

In part two of the lab, the simulated cell turned a dark purple. This is because the iodine

that was in the beaker was able to pass through the semi permeable dialysis tubing. The iodine

mixed with the starch solution which turned into a dark purple. (Ophardt, 2017, p.1). The dialysis

tubing is permeable to the iodine because it was able to pass through the tubing.

The lab had unexpected results because of many sources of error. These sources of error

could be not properly drying off the bag before weighing it, not tying the bag tight enough to

prevent leaks, getting starch on the bag in part two of the experiment or not measuring the

solutions properly. If the sources of error were taken out of the equation, then the results would

have been more accurate. If the lab were to change in any way, it would be to make everything

less stressful. The lab should have been done over a longer period of time, so things would not

have been rushed and the sources of error could have been avoided.

Conclusion
After studying the graphs and the data, the lab gives a better understanding of the different types

of osmotic environments. The findings show that the dialysis tubing is permeable to different

types of solutes and water. This lab simulated a cell and its membrane. The bag made from

dialysis tubing represented a cell and the liquids inside and outside the bag represented the inside

and outside of the cell. The lab and the findings are significant because they can be used as a way

to better understand what goes on at a cellular level.

References
Biggs, A., Hagins, W. C., Holliday, W. G., Kapicka, C. L., Lundgren, L., MacKenzie, A. H., . . .

Zike, D. (2012). Biology. Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill Edu.

Britannica, T. E. (2019, March 01). Osmosis. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/osmosis

Diffusion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Kinetic/diffus.html

Diffusion and passive transport. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/membranes-and-transport/passive-

transport/a/diffusion-and-passive-transport

Libretexts. (2019, February 23). Starch and Iodine. Retrieved from

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Biological_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(

Biological_Chemistry)/Carbohydrates/Case_Studies/Starch_and_Iodine