FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

KUALA LUMPUR CAMPUS

BABS1313 FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

COURSEWORK : PRACTICAL REPORT

MARKS:

CLASS: RFNY1S2

PREPARED BY,

NAME STUDENT ID

LAU XIN YU 22WLR13969

Name of Lecturer: Dr. Loh Khye Er

Date of Submission: 4th April 2023
Practical: 3
Laboratory: D204 (2)
Name: LAU XIN YU Class: RFNY1S2

Practical 3 Date: 02/04/2023

Title:
Membrane Permeability

Objective:
1. To define the following terms: solvent, solute, solution, selectively permeable, diffusion,
osmosis, concentration gradient, equilibrium, turgid, plasmolyzed, plasmolysis, turgor pressure,
tonicity, hypertonic, isotonic and hypotonic.

2. To describe the effects of hypertonic, isotonic, and hypertonic solutions on onion scale leaf.

Introduction:
Solvent is a substance that dissolves another substance to form a solution. A solute is a substance
that is dissolved in a solvent to form a solution. When a solvent and a solute combine, they form
a solution. For example, water is a common solvent, and salt can dissolve in water to form a
saltwater solution. In this solution, water is the solvent, and salt is the solute.

A selectively permeable membrane is a membrane that allows certain substances to pass through
while preventing others from passing through. This type of membrane is also known as a
semipermeable membrane. For example, cell membranes are selectively permeable membranes
that allow certain substances to enter and leave the cell.

Diffusion is the movement of particles from a high concentration region to a low concentration
region. This process occurs due to the random movement of particles. The entire movement of
water through selectively permeable membranes from a region of a higher concentration of water
to a region of lower concentration of water is known as osmosis. Osmosis moves water
molecules from the side with high water potential to the side with low water potential. The
concentration difference of dissolved compounds influences osmosis.

A concentration gradient is a concentration difference between the two regions. Equilibrium is a

condition of balance in which the concentration of the substance is constant throughout a system.
There is no net movement of particles in this condition. When a solution achieves equilibrium,
particle movement continues but there is no general change in solution concentration.

Plant cells that have expanded from water absorption are known as turgid. Plant cells that have
lost water and shrunk away from the cell wall are referred to as being "plasmolyzed," and water
flowing out of plant cells during plasmolysis. According to BYJU’S, plasmolysis is defined as
the process of contraction or shrinkage of the protoplasm of a plant cell and is caused due to the
loss of water in the cell (BYJU’S, 2023). The pressure that water inside plant cells applies to the
cell membrane is known as turgor pressure. This pressure helps to maintain the shape of the plant
cell.

Tonicity is a measure of the osmotic pressure of a solution relative to the osmotic pressure of a
cell. A hypertonic solution is a solution that has a higher concentration of solutes than the
solution on the other side of a selectively permeable membrane. Water moves out of the cell
causing it to shrink. An isotonic solution is a solution that has the same concentration of solutes
as the solution on the other side of a selectively permeable membrane. There is no net movement
of water across the membrane. A hypotonic solution is a solution that has a lower concentration
of solutes than the solution on the other side of a selectively permeable membrane. Water moves
into the cell causing it to swell.
Materials and Apparatus:
1. Forceps
2. 2 microscope slides
3. 2 cover slips
4. Compound microscope
5. Onion cells
6. Dropping bottles of distilled water
7. Dropping bottles of 20% sodium chloride (NaCl)

Methods:
1. One of the fleshy “scale” leaves of the onion bulb is removed with a forceps. The “leaf” is
snapped and a ragged piece of epidermis is produced.

2. One small piece of epidermis in a drop of distilled water is mounted on a microscope slide and
the other piece in 20% NaCl solution on a second microscope slide and both covered with cover
slips.

3. The cells in distilled water are observed with the compound microscope. The medium is
focused first, followed by medium-power objective and then finally switched to the high-dry
objective.

4. The cells mounted in a 20% NaCl solution are observed. After several minutes, the cell will
have lost water, causing it to become plasmolyzed. (This process is called plasmolysis).

5. Deplasmolysis is observed, the cover slip from a preparation exhibiting plasmolysis was
slowly and gently removed, the salt solution is drained and two drops of distilled water is added.
After 1 minute, a cover slip is placed on the preparation. Deplasmolysis is examined under
high-dry for 5 minutes and the result is observed.
Result:

Diagram 1: Onion cells in turgid condition

Diagram 2: Onion cells plasmolyzed

Discussion:
When 20% NaCl solution is added into the onion cells, it can be observed that the onion cells
become plasmolyzed. It can be explained by the onion cells experiencing plasmolysis. The NaCl
solution is hypertonic compared to the cytoplasm of onion cells, which means the concentration
of NaCl outside the cell is greater than the concentration of solution inside the cell. This creates a
gradient in water potential between the two environments, causing water to move out of the cells
through osmosis. As a result, the cells lose water and become dehydrated. The plasma membrane
and cytoplasm shrink away from the cell wall, causing the cells to become flaccid and lose their
turgor pressure. On the other hand, a plant cell that has been plasmolyzed can be made turgid
again when we add pure water.

When distilled water is added to onion cells, it can be observed that the onion cells will swell and
become turgid. This can be explained that the distilled water is hypotonic compared to the
cytoplasm of onion cells, which means distilled water has a lower concentration of solutes. This
creates a gradient in water potential that causes water molecules to move into the cells through
osmosis from a high concentration region (distilled water) to a low concentration area. (inside
the cells). As a result, the onion cells become more rigid and turgid due to the increased water
content. The cell wall of the onion cells will prevent the cells from bursting under the increased
pressure, which is known as turgor pressure.

In contrast, when an isotonic solution is applied to onion cells, the concentration of solutes in the
solution is the same as that inside the cells. There is no net movement of water into or out of the
cells, and the cells maintain their normal shape and size. The onion cells remain turgid, as there
is no loss or gain of water.

Conclusion:
Overall, the effects of hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic solutions on onion scale leaf depend
on the concentration of solutes in the solutions and the resulting gradients in water potential that
they create. These gradients influence the movement of water into and out of the cells, which in
turn affects the shape, size, and rigidity of the leaf. When the solution is isotonic, the onion cells
will remain turgid. When the solution is hypertonic, the onion cell will plasmolyze while the
onion cells will be turgid when the solution is hypotonic.
Reference:
1. BYJU’S, 2023, ‘Plasmolysis’, viewed on 1 April 2023,
<https://byjus.com/biology/plasmolysis/#:~:text=Deplasmolysis-,What%20is%20Plasmolysis%3
F,and%20rarely%20occurs%20in%20nature.>

2. Khan Academy, 2023, ‘Osmosis and tonicity’, viewed on 1 April 2023,

<https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/cell-structure-and-function/mechanisms-of-tr
ansport-tonicity-and-osmoregulation/a/osmosis>