Activity 1

WATER AND ITS PROPERTIES

INTRODUCTION: Water is important to all living systems. It serves as natural solvent for mineral ions and other
substances. It is also the dispersion medium for colloidal cells like protoplasm. t serves as the medium for most
biochemical reactions, and is the most abundant component of cells. Except for the bone tissues and enamel, water
constitutes about 70% of the human body.

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the properties of water that makes it a suitable medium for sustaining life in biological systems.

MATERIALS:
NaCl citic acid powder egg membrane
sugar NaHCO3 2 beakers
gelatin 1% NaCl in starch solution thistle tube
CuSO4 o\0.1 M AgNO3 test tubes
lard 10% sucrose solution test tube rack
ethanol deionized water string or rubber band
CCl4 dialysis bag

PROCEDURE/ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Water is a universal solvent

a. Put about 0.5 grams of the following substances into 6 separate test tubes: NaCl, sugar, gelatin, CuSO 4, lard and
ethanol. Add 1 mL of water to each test tube and shake vigorously to dissolve the substance. To substances that
did not dissolve, add another 1 mL of water and shake.
b. Repeat the solubility test using CCl4 instead of water.
c. Describe the solubility in both solvents as soluble, slightly soluble and insoluble. Record observations in the table
below.

SUBSTANCES Solubility in water Solubility in CCl4

NaCl Soluble Insoluble
Sugar Soluble Insoluble
Gelatin Insoluble Insoluble
CuSO4 Soluble Insoluble
Lard N/A N/A
Ethanol Soluble Insoluble

Based on your observation, which solvent dissolves more substances?

Observation: After working on the first part of the activity using water and CCl 4 to dissolve different substances, I
saw that water dissolves more substances and only gelatin was not dissolved or is insoluble in water. Compared to
CCl4 where all of the substances were insoluble.

2. Water is a good medium for biochemical reactions

a. Mix 0.1 gram of dry, powdered citric acid and sodium bicarbonate in a dry test tube. Observe if a chemical re -
action occurs.
b. Add about 10 mL of water to the mixture and note what happens.
Observation: After the procedure demoed to us as a whole class, when water was poured, there was a bubbly
reaction or it created bubbles and elevated a bit as bubbles formed. The reaction can be seen similar to when
we open a can or a bottle of carbonated drinks.

3. Properties of water solutions

a. Dialysis (Set up A). Obtain a dialysis bag (egg membrane). [Soak the egg shell in an acid in order to get the
soft membrane. Be careful not to tear off the thin film]. Fill with 30 ml of 1% starch-NaCl mixture, tie the bag
 and rinse thoroughly with water. Put the bag in a beaker containing distilled water. Adjust the set-up such that
the levels of fluids inside and outside the bag are the same. After 1 hour, test 1 mL of the dialysate (water in
the beaker) with a few drops of 0.1 M AgNO 3. Formation of a white precipitate of AgCl confirms the pres-
ence of chloride ions in the dialysate. Test also with iodine solution. Observe the results. You may also test
the solution inside the egg with both test reagents.

Set Up A Set Up B

b. Osmosis (Set up B). Fill the glass tubing with 10% sucrose solution. Tie the membrane filter at the end of the
tubing using a rubber band. Suspend it in a beaker with distilled water. Mark the level of solution in the glass
tubing. Observe the difference in solution levels after 30 minutes. Did the sugar solution migrate inwards or
outward the tubing?
Observation: As the set up was done, where sucrose was placed inside the tubing, we marked the level where
it stopped and waited for 30 minutes to see what will happen. And the solution inside the tubing migrated
inwards and poured sucrose was about 1-2 cm lower than before.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. Enumerate the different functions of water in living systems

Water is not only necessary to satisfy thirst, but also to keep our bodies healthy and operating properly. Water is
essential for the survival and function of almost all of our body's key systems. Water regulates body temperature,
moistens tissues in the eyes, nose and mouth, protects body organs and tissues, carries nutrients and oxygen to
cells, lubricates joints, lessens burden the on kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products, helps dissolve
minerals and nutrients to make them accessible to our body.

2. Based on your observations, define dialysis and osmosis. Cite possible applications of the above procedures.

Due to the uneven rates of diffusion over a semipermeable barrier, dialysis is possible. A semipermeable
membrane is a membrane that permits some molecules to travel through it while not letting others. Small
molecules and dissolved ions are permitted to flow through a semipermeable membrane when a colloidal mixture
is placed in the membrane and the membrane is then submerged in an aqueous solution or pure water. This causes
colloidal particles to stay in the membrane, because these particles are unable to flow through the tiny holes of the
membrane. Just like in the experiment where we poured 30 ml of 1% starch-NaCl mixture in the membrane
submerged in water then poured a few drops of 0.1 M AgNO 3 where precipitate formed or passed through the
membrane. A specific application of this is hemodialysis, where it involves drawing blood, purifying it through
dialysis, and then reinjecting it back into the body. Salts, water, urea, and metabolic acids are all retained in
kidney failure. The patient is then attached to a hemodialyzer, another name for a dialysis machine. The blood
flows through microscopic tubes composed of semipermeable membranes.
 For Osmosis, it is the movement of solvent from a higher concentration to an area of lower solvent concentration
where only the solvent moves between the semi-permeable membrane in this case, the egg membrane. As the
membrane was submerged with distilled water, we poured sucrose to the tubing and marked the level. After 3o
minutes, the level of sucrose moved inward towards the tubing which should not have been the case, it should
have risen since if it was to demonstrate osmosis, the sucrose solution shouldn’t have deterred and the water
solvent was the one who should have gone through the egg membrane. A possible application of osmosis is in the
mechanism used in both plant and animal cells to transport water molecules. Selective permeability is brought on
by a membrane structure. During the procedure, a cell changes components inside its surrounding, a process
which is controlled by the plasma membrane.

CONCLUSION:

Water has been a part of our daily lives and has been one of the most important needs of human beings. Without it
we wouldn’t even be here breathing. Also, with the 2 processes which are Dialysis and Osmosis, where without it a lot of
processes and the equilibrium within our systems would not function accordingly. I’ve learned a lot from the experiment
starting from how to make an egg membrane, even testing my patience with it and the steadiness of my hand. We had
troubles getting it to our desired outcome but in the end we succeeded. Also learning and knowing the purpose on how
carbonated drinks react that way which was really cool to observe. cpOverall, I can say that the experiment went well
since we learned a lot as a group and individually.

REFERENCE/S:

A. (2021, May 19). Dialysis Tubing Experiment, Lab Report Example | essays.io. Essays Io. Retrieved June 22,

2022, from https://essays.io/dialysis-tubing-experiment-lab-report-example/

Libretexts. (2020, August 15). Dialysis. Chemistry LibreTexts. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://chem.li-

bretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Mod-

ules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/Solutions_and_Mixtures/

Case_Studies/Dialysis

Water: Essential to your body. (2021, September 17). Mayo Clinic Health System. Retrieved June 22, 2022,

from https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/water-essential-to-

your-body

DOCUMENTATION:
WATER AS A
UNIVERSAL
SOLVENT

OSMOSIS