IB Biology Internal Assessment

IB BIOLOGY INTERNAL ASSESSMENT. Title: A study i

Biology Mock IA
Title:
A study investigating the impact of osmosis on potato (Solanum Tuberosum) cells in terms of
weight, measured by an electronic scale, and texture, measured by touch. This study
additionally investigates the effect of different solute concentrations in the process of osmosis
by creating different conditions in terms of the concentration of sea salt (NaCl) in each
solution.
Research Question:
What is the effect of different concentrations (0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%) of a saline
(NaCl) solution on potato (Solanum Tuberosum) samples in terms of weight (grams) and
texture?
Introduction:
Osmosis is the diffusion of water or other solvents through a semipermeable membrane. A
semipermeable membrane is a thin membrane that will pass certain small molecules. This
process was first studied by Wilhelm Pfeffer, a German plant physiologist in 1877, but the
general term was introduced by Toman Graham, a British chemist in 1854. These solvents
tend to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. When
osmosis occurs, solvent molecules selectively pass through the membrane from the dilute
solution to the concentrated solution, diluting it until the two concentrations are the same,
meaning when equilibrium is reached. During this process, the solute remains in its original
area and only the solvent is transferred from one side of the membrane to the other. For the
osmotic effect to be more prominent, water is only to be transferred across the membrane. It
is also true that, at a specific moment in time, water molecules can move towards either the
higher or lower concentration solutions, but the net movement of water will be towards the
higher solute concentration. The compartment with the highest solute and lowest water
concentration has the greatest osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure
required to prevent the inward flow of a solution’s pure solvent through the membrane. If
sufficient pressure is applied to the solution side of the semipermeable membrane, the
osmotic process will stop. Assuming a solution is isolated from the pure solvent by a
membrane that is permeable to the solvent but not the solute, the solution will tend to dilute
as the solvent is absorbed through the membrane. This process can be stopped by increasing
the pressure on the solution by a certain amount, known as the osmotic pressure. In 1886, the
Dutch-born chemist Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff demonstrated that if the solute is so dilute
that its partial vapour pressure above the solution obeys Henry's law (i.e., is proportional to
its concentration in the solution), then osmotic pressure varies with concentration and
temperature in the same way that a gas occupying the same volume would. This relation
resulted in equations for determining molecular weights. The osmotic pressure can be
measured by osmolality. Osmolality indicates the concentration of all the particles dissolved
in body fluid which describes how many particles are dissolved in the solution.

The rate of osmosis depends on the concentration of the solutes, ultimately comparing an
external solution to the internal concentration found in the body. Three cases determine the
rate.
 Hypertonic solutions
A hypertonic solution is any external solution that has a high solute concentration and low
water concentration compared to body fluids. A hypertonic cell has a higher osmotic pressure.
In this type of cell during osmosis, water will be transferred out of the cell until equilibrium is
reached. The result of osmosis on this type of cell will cause the cell to shrivel and have an
overall lower volume. The volume inside the cell will have a higher solute concentration.
This specific process is called plasmolysis.

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  Isotonic solutions
Isotonic solutions have the same solute concentration compared to the intracellular solute
concentration. Therefore, no water movement will occur, as the cell and the intracellular
space have the same solute concentration and have already reached equilibrium. The cell will
remain unchanged.
 Hypotonic solutions
A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration compared to the intracellular solute
concentration. A hypotonic cell has a lower osmotic pressure. In this type of cell during
osmosis, water will be transferred in the cell until equilibrium is reached. This will result in
an increased intracellular volume and a lower intracellular solute concentration. The solution
will end up with a higher overall solute concentration. The cell will appear engorged, and the
cell membrane might rupture as a result. This specific process is called cytolysis.

In this experiment, osmosis will be used in order to determine the cell type of a potato and
show the different effects that it will have on it. The solute will be sea salt (NaCl) and the
solvent will be water. Putting the potato samples in the NaCl solution will show if the potato
cells are hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic. This will be shown by the texture of the potato
samples. If the potato cells are hypertonic, the texture will be squishier than the texture of the
potato samples before osmosis. This is because the potato cells will shrivel if that is the case.
If the potato cells are isotonic, the texture will remain the same. If the potato cells are
hypotonic, the texture will be firmer as the cells will be retaining more water and will
therefore be engorged and will contain more liquids than before osmosis. This will be shown
by comparing the samples’ weight from different conditions/ concentrations after the osmosis
process has been finished. Additionally, these results will also show the theory that the ideal
conditions of osmosis are ones where the concentration of the solute of the extracellular fluid
is minimal.
Personal Engagement
This experiment is important as its results can provide information about potato cells that are
necessary for improvements in plant-focused studies. It could also help in gastronomical
techniques such as cooking. Personally, this experiment provides a great example of osmosis.
It will explain the effect of different solute concentrations on osmosis and how the results
will differ in terms of NaCl concentration in the solution. This experiment therefore serves as
an instructive example of how osmosis works in basic biological processes.
In short, the importance of this experiment goes beyond what it simply proves because it can
lead to wider knowledge about life functions, usefulness in many disciplines and improved
learning opportunities.
Hypothesis
A relationship between the amount of solute in a solution and the amount of water added or
removed from the cell during osmosis.
Materials:
 1 Potato of Cypriot origin (Solanum Tuberosum) (~100g)
 Electronic Scale with 3 decimal numbers (uncertainty: 0,001)
 Distilled water
 Salt (NaCl)
 Multicolour pins
 Ruler in cm (20cm) (uncertainty: 0,5cm)
 Glass Volumetric Cylinder (50 mL) (uncertainty: ± 0,5 mL)
 Metallic Spatula
 Paper

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  5 Beakers (100 mL) (uncertainty: ± 0.5 mL)
 Borer
 Aluminum
 Forceps
 Pen
 Knife
Procedure:
1. We measured the distilled water in the Glass Volumetric Cylinder and then placed 40
mL of water in each of the 5 beakers.
2. We put aluminium on the electric scale to not cause any danger due to water spillage.
Then we measured the NaCl solute. We labelled each beaker with a different NaCl
concentration (0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%). Then we measured the NaCl on the
electric scale and put the corresponding amount into the appropriate beaker. Then we
stirred each beaker, which contained both water and NaCl.
3. A Medium-sized potato was washed and then placed on the paper towel. It was patted
down and dried off for any excess water. We ensured that no dirt had been left on the
potato as it would affect the results. Then, with the borer, a thin cylinder piece with a
diameter of 0.7 cm is taken out vertically of the middle of the potato. Then the
cylinder pieces are measured with a 20 cm ruler and cut at a 1 cm height with a knife.
4. We weighed all the cylinder samples and matched them with multi-coloured pins,
writing down the weight of each sample and the colour of its pin. The colour coding
was done so that we could compare and observe the change in mass. Then we placed
five cylinder samples on each beaker. Each beaker had 5 samples of potato cylinders
labelled with a different colour (orange, blue, red, black) except for one in each
beaker which had no pin. The beakers were placed in the same environment with the
same conditions in terms of temperature, sunlight, humidity etc.
5. After 1 day, we took the beakers with the potato cylinders and NaCl solute. We took
the potato cylinders out of the sealed beakers with forceps and patted them down with
a paper towel to take off excess water. After that, we carefully took off each pin and
weighed the potato sample on the electronic scale. We note down the weight of each
sample next to their previous weight. Then we compared the weight of the original
sample with the weight of the same sample one day in the NaCl solute. We repeat the
process with every cylinder potato sample.
Results

Table 1
Concentration Example Before (g) After (g) Deviation (F-I)/F
*100
0% No Colour 2,68 2,82 5% 4,96
0% Red 2,41 2,51 4% 3,98
0% Blue 2,65 2,71 2% 2,21
0% Orange 2,60 2,63 1% 1,14
0% Black 2,87 2,84 -1% -1,06
1% No Colour 2,42 2,07 -14% -16,91
1% Red 2,39 2,17 -9% -10,14
1% Blue 2,64 2,37 -10% -11,39
1% Orange 2,37 2,06 -13% -15,05
1% Black 2,52 2,18 -13% -15,60

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 2% No Colour 2,56 2,18 -15% -17,43
2% Red 2,23 1,84 -17% -21,20
2% Blue 2,51 2,11 -16% -18,96
2% Orange 2,75 2,25 -18% -22,22
2% Black 2,40 2,16 -10% -11,11
3% No Colour 2,49 2,00 -20% -24,50
3% Red 2,32 2,13 -8% -8,92
3% Blue 2,72 2,36 -13% -15,25
3% Orange 2,64 2,20 -17% -20,00
3% Black 2,36 1,88 -20% -25,53
4% No Colour 2,40 1,80 -25% -33,33
4% Red 2,74 2,21 -19% -23,98
4% Blue 2,69 2,22 -17% -21,17
4% Orange 2,45 2,02 -18% -21,29
4% Black 2,57 2,05 -20% -25,37

Standard Deviation 0,16 0,28 76%

12.00 Figure 1: Graph of

results with error
bars
10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00

0.00
0 2 4 6 8 10 12

 There was a difference in texture and firmness between the potato samples placed in
the 0% and 0.8% concentrations.
 Potato samples placed in the 0.8% concentration were leaner and softer/ squishier.
 Potato samples placed in the 0% concentration were firmer and rougher.
Variables
Independent Variables:
 The concentration of the saline solutions (NaCl solutions). We used five conditions.
0% concentration (0g of NaCl), 0.2% concentration (0.2g of NaCl in 100g of water),
0.4% concentration (0.4g of NaCl in 100g of water), 0.6% concentration (0.6g of
NaCl in 100g of water) and 0.8% concentration (0.8g of NaCl in 100g of water)
Dependent Variables:

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  The weight of the potato samples after the process of osmosis compared to the weight
of the potato samples before the process of osmosis.
Why? To determine whether potato cells are hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic based on the
water retention/ added weight.
How? By weighting each one of the potato samples before the process of osmosis, colour-
coding them to keep track of the past weight of the sample and comparing that weight to the
one after the process of osmosis.
 The texture of the potato samples after the process of osmosis compared to the texture
of the potato samples before the process of osmosis.
Why? To determine whether potato cells are hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic based on the
firmness or squishiness in contrast with the texture before the osmosis process.
How? By carefully observing the texture with our hands, compressing, and touching the
samples and determining the different textures between the solutions.
Evaluation
The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that a relationship between the amount
of solute in a solution and the amount of water added or removed from the cell during
osmosis exists. This can be seen from Table 1 as well as from Graph 1. In this specific
experiment, it can be seen that the higher the concentration of NaCl in the solution where the
potato samples were placed, the more water was exerted from the potato samples. The results
of this experiment showed that the potato cells are hypertonic as the majority of them lost
weight instead of gaining. Additionally, this can be said due to the samples being squishy and
soft after osmosis, meaning that instead of retaining water, the cells lost water and therefore,
lost firmness.

Strengths:
 The experiment was done in a controlled, artificial environment (laboratory), limiting
environmental uncontrolled variables.
 Temperature and humidity were controlled by placing all the beakers in the same
environment.
 Appropriate equipment was used in order to accurately carry out the experiment.
 The potato cylinders were taken out of the solution in the same order that they were
placed in to ensure that every potato sample was in the solution for an equal time.
Limitations:
 All the samples were taken out of the same potato; different potatoes could provide
different results.
 Higher or lower temperatures in the environment could have given different results.
 Potatoes of different origins could provide different results.
 The maturity of the potato (ripe/unripe) could have influenced the results.
 The potato cylinders were weighed before the pins pierced a hole through them. This
could have changed the weight of each potato sample as the pin could have taken off a
piece while going through the sample.
 The skin was not cut off from the potato samples. This could have changed the results
as leftover dirt or other substances could be on it.
 A pen was used to measure the length of the samples when measuring with the ruler.
This could have influenced the results of this experiment.
Safety considerations:
 Gloves were worn during the entire procedure of the experiment.
 The borer, which is a sharp tool used to cut equal and symmetrical potato samples,
was used carefully.

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  The knife, which is a sharp tool used to cut equal and symmetrical potato samples,
was used carefully.
 Any glass equipment was used carefully during the entire experiment in order to
ensure no broken glass.
 Safety glasses were worn during the experiment.
 The experiment was done in a controlled environment, a school science lab, where no
unauthorized student had access.
 The samples were immediately put away and taken in the school compost to ensure
they wouldn’t be consumed.
 All the tools used were thoroughly washed before being placed back in their place.
Ethical/Environmental Considerations:
 Any aluminium used was recycled in the school recycling bins.
 Any paper used was recycled in the school recycling bins.
 The potato used along with the samples were put in the school compost.
 The scale was not connected to any power outlet unless it was being used.
 No excess material was used; only minimum material that was necessary for the
process.
 The 0% concentration solution was used to water plants around the school, as it did
not contain any salt.
 The 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8% concentration solutions were poured into the lab’s
sink, as watering plants with salt water would harm them.
 A minimal number of potatoes was used (one).
 The equipment was washed with the minimal amount of water and soap possible.
 No one was harmed during the experiment.
 All the participants consented to participate in the experiment.

Reflective Statement
This process was greatly beneficial to me personally. I gained a deeper insight into the
process of osmosis, something that will help me with the Biology HL curriculum, but also
helped me gain experience in laboratory experiments. I got more accustomed to conducting
lab experiments and creating a safe environment by considering all the dangerous factors and
limiting them. I also got more used to using scientific language and came up with solutions to
ethical and environmental considerations. What I struggled with was the format of an Internal
Assessment, but after researching from reliable sources and readying my class notes, I
understood the structure and applied it to my internal assessment. Another issue I came up
against was the graph, which I researched for and was able to do on Microsoft Excel. I
enjoyed doing the experiment and found it very interesting to do hands-on work in a
laboratory. Additionally, this internal assessment challenged me to find errors in my practices
and think of possible uncontrolled variables that I did not consider at first.

Conclusion:
Finally, it was investigated the complex osmosis dynamics by conducting an experiment on
potato (Solanum Tuberosum) cells with respect to weight and texture as a result of using
different concentrations of saline (NaCl) solutions. From carrying out experiments and
analyzing the results, some significant findings were established.

The results prove the hypothesis that there is a relationship between solute concentration and
water direction during osmosis. In this case, the higher concentrations of NaCl in the solution
led to more water loss from potato samples which meant that their cells were hypertonic. The

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potatoes became lighter and indeed softer when they were exposed to higher NaCl
concentrations.

In addition, the experiment showed why it is necessary to maintain isotonicity for optimum
cellular functioning. Weight changes were minimal in potato samples submerged in lower
NaCl concentration solutions while retaining their hardness. This implies an isotonic
condition where equilibrium is maintained.

This experiment has several strengths including its controlled lab setting, elaborate
methodology used as well as safety procedures. Nonetheless, there are certain limitations like
the use of one source of potato and possible variations in the environment

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Bibliography
https://www.britannica.com/science/osmosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557609/
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/
Introductory_Chemistry/13%3A_Solutions/13.10%3A_Osmosis
https://byjus.com/chemistry/osmotic-pressure-equation/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567764/#:~:text=Osmolality%20indicates
%20the%20concentration%20of,%2C%20and%20small%2Dmolecule%20poisonings.