MODELLING OSMOSIS

Research center: IES El Greco

Subject: Biology

Course and group: 4 ESO A

Members of the team: Nicholas García Labarga, Berta Iglesias Fernández, Rodrigo Madrigal
García, Adriana Salgado Carrasco and Yu Jiang
Teacher: Francisco Javier Rivero Torres

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 CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION..................................................................................Page 3
• PURPOSE............................................................................................Page 4
• MATERIALS AND METHODS..............................................................Page 5
o Materials.....................................................................................Page 5
o Methods......................................................................................Page 5
• RESULTS..............................................................................................Page 6
• DISCUSSION........................................................................................Pages 7-9
o Interpretation...............................................................................Page 7
o Drinking pure water.....................................................................Page 8
o Osmotic laxatives........................................................................Page 9
o Matching......................................................................................Page 9
• BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................Page 10

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 1. INTRODUCTION

Osmosis is a passive process and happens without any expenditure of energy. It

involves the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to
lower concentration until the concentrations become equal on either side of the
membrane.

In animal cells, the movement of water is influenced by the concentration of

solute on the both sides of the semipermeable membrane. It is called as
hypertonic solution if it contains a higher amount of solute and the water will
move out of the cell and the cell will shrink. The hypotonic solution happend if
it contains a lower amount of solute and the water will move into the cell and it
will increase in size. And an isotonic solution is when it have the same amount
of solute as compared with the solute concentration in the other solution across
a semipermeable membrane.

In plant cells, the pressure also affect the process of osmosis. If there is enough
pressure inside the cell, no water will enter. We cannot predict the movement
of water knowing the solute concentrations, but we use the water potential to
do it.

This dynamic experience was done to better understand what is the difference
in a plant (potato) using salted water and deionized water, showing how it
absorbs or releases water.

If we have two pieces of the same plant and put them into a glass with deionized
water and the other piece into a glass of water with salt, we will observe that
one day later, one of them has a increase in weight and the other has the
opposite situation. It is due to the process of osmosis.

This process we will use a potato, two plastic glasses with a top, deionezed water
and salt, cutter, balance, teeth sticks and a volumentric flask for 1L of water.

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 2. PURPOSE

The main objective is to better understand how is the process of the transport
of substances across the cell membrane.

This experience led the students know what is the process called osmosis, that
is how the solvent molecules move from an area of lower solute concentration
to a area with higher solute concentration and there are three types according
to the condition of the solution.

Also they will learn the differences between the use of deionized water and
salted water for living things and how they affect our health. In addition, they
will discover how osmotic laxatives work with the results obtained.

After this, the students will be able to design an experiment by themselves to

test osmosis and elaborate a plat data on a graph.

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3. MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1. Materials

➢ Potatoes
➢ 2 plastic glasses with a lid
➢ Deionized water
➢ Water
➢ Salt
➢ Cutter
➢ Electronic balance
➢ Teeth sticks
➢ Volumetric flask (1L)

3.2. Methods

1) Add 20g of salt in the volumetric flask and add water until reach 1 litre.
2) Fill one plastic glass with the solution we had in the first step and the other
glass with deionized water.
3) Take the inner part of the potato and cut it with the cutter taking two
cubes of potato with a size of 2cm x 2cm approximately.
4) Weigh each cube of potato and write down the weight obtained on a
paper.
5) Stab each cube of potato with the teeth sticks and make a small hole in
the middle of the lip.
6) Hung the potatoes into the water (100% covered by the water) with the
help of the sticks.
7) Wait 24 hours for the osmosis to work, dry carefully the water on the
surface of the potatos.
8) Weigh the cubes again and compare the results.

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4. RESULTS

Initial weight (g) Final weight (g)

Deionized water 11,86 13,86

Solution 20g/L 9,40 7,94

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 5. DISCUSSION

5.1. Interpretation

As the results show, we can observe that the potato that was in the deionized
water gain weight (2g) comparing with the day before. This is caused by the
process called osmosis. It gains weight due to the solute concentration, as we
use deionized water, the concentration of the solute is much lower than the
solute concentration in the potato. As there is an imbalance between the both
sides of the cell membrane (semipermeable membrane), the the solvent (water)
moves from the side with lower solute concentration to the solution where
there is a higher solute concentration to maintain the concentration balanced.
This is known as hypotonic solution.

In the second case, the one that we use salted water, the situation is totally
opposite: it lose weight (1,46g). As we add more solute (salt), the concentration
of the solution is higher than the concentration of the inside of the potato, so
the water particles move out of the cell to get the same concentration both inner
and outer sides. This is known as hypertonic solution

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 5.2. Drinking pure water

Once we finished the experiment, we can talk a little bit about if drinking pur
water as a program to clean our internal body is a healthy habit or no.

Drinking pure water is essential for body detoxification. Pure water allows our
body's detoxification system to get rid of waste products from the blood. It also
helps to keep our liver and kidneys in a healthy condition.

But drinking purified water for a long time will have irreversible negative effects
on the health of the elderly and children. Young people who grow up with
purified water may feel weak or have advanced cardiovascular diseases.

They also remove some healthy elements of the human body while removing
harmful impurities from the water such as magnesium, zinc, iron, iodine, other
minerals, and inorganic salts. But a healthy drinking water must contain certain
minerals. One of the main sources of trace elements required by the human
body is drinking water. Long-term consumption of pure water, even if the food
structure is adjusted, some trace elements are difficult to obtain from food.

As the results we obtained before, if we drink pure water, our body will have
higher solute concentration comparing with the pure water, so we have to
absorb this water to obtain a balance between them, but in this case, we will
not have the enough minerals to maintain our body health and it can cause
disease.

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 5.3. Osmotic laxatives

Osmotic laxatives are a type of laxatives used for treating constipation. In the
intestine, osmotic agents pull water from the surrounding tissues using a
process known as osmosis. Excess moisture in the intestine results in softer
stools that are easier to pass. It is vital to drink lots of water while taking osmotic
laxatives to improve their efficiency and to decrease the possibility of gas and
cramps.

Osmotic laxatives alter the balance with substances—such as salts, sugars, and
other organic compounds—that encourage the movement of water into the
lumen.

If the osmotic laxatives alter the balance with substances, it means that we will
not absorb the water so much as before because instead of doing this, the water
was pulled from the tissues by the process called osmosis. The water obtained
was stored in the intestine and when there is excess moisture, the softer stools
will be easier to expelled.

This product is useful because it change the conditions of our body as it different
comparing with a normal osmosis because, in the normal conditions, we absorb
water, but in this case, we do not absorb the water because it goes only to one
place: the intestine.

5.4. Matching:

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5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

→ https://www.verywellhealth.com/osmotic-laxatives-for-constipation-
1944785#:~:text=Osmotic%20laxatives%20are%20small%20particles%20%2
8proteins%2C%20fibers%2C%20or,concentration%20of%20fluid%20and%20
solids%20in%20each%20compartment.
→ https://kitchenapplianceland.com/is-purified-water-healthy/
→ https://www.waterdropfilter.com/blogs/home-and-wellness/the-benefits-of-
purified-water

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