Osmosis

Diffusion and Osmosis Experiment Across A Dialysis Membrane

Experiment performed by

Alaina James

Adriana Luna

Brittany Laws

Abstract

This experiment was performed as a class. We would be learning about osmosis and diffusion through a lab. We would be using a dialysis bag that would act as a semipermeable membrane. The sucrose solution inside this bag would show us in the end exactly how osmosis is achieved. We were divided up into three groups for this, each group had a designated person to weigh, time, and document all data. During fifteen minute intervals a dialysis bag was weighed. Between the weights and the red sucrose solution inside the dialysis bag, began to diffuse into the water inside the beaker. Osmosis and diffusion were becoming more clear for us to see. The final results were compared as a class and they varied only by 0.1-0.3 grams every time. The color of the beaker water began to change and over the course of seventy-five minutes, by the end we as a class had the same colors. This report will walk you through exactly how we achieved the results we did, along with discussing hypothesizes and problems encountered along the way.

Introduction

Osmosis is known as the diffusion of a solvent across a selectively permeable membrane that happens in response to differences in solute concentrations (Allen, and Harper 43) . For example if water diffuses from an area of low water concentration to a higher solution concentration (hypotonic solution), then the water will diffuse through a permeable membrane to balance the solution (isotonic solution) (Allen, and Harper 43 ). The opposite of this is a hypertonic solution. This is where a higher solution concentration diffuses into the lower water concentration. Osmosis and diffusion is happening in our bodies every second of the wery day. This experiment will help us understand how our body balances its chemicals and solutions to maintain homeostasis. We, as a group, hypothesize that the water will...