Processing/Analyzing:

1)
Osmosis is the net movement of water from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of
high solute concentration. From our results, the potato cytoplasm in test tubes #8-11 showed
increases in mass. The increase of mass in this case results from the solute (sucrose)
concentration in the outer solution being lower than the solute concentration in potato
cytoplasm. Because of this difference in solute concentration, a hypotonic environment is
created and the solvent (water) moves through the selectively permeable membrane of the
potato with osmosis. The piece of potato becomes swollen with water, its mass increases, and
the solute concentration is decreased so that both the inside and outside of the cell have the
same solute concentration. This conclusion is backed by our graph where the x-coordinates that
correspond with test tubes #8-11 have y-coordinates that display a positive percentage change
in mass.

In our results, the potato cytoplasm in test tubes #1-6 showed decreases in mass. This
decrease in mass occurred due to the solute (sucrose) concentration in the outer solution being
higher than the solute concentration in potato cytoplasm. This created a hypertonic environment
that caused the solvent (water) to expel out of the membrane. The potato shrunk as the water
moved out of the potato and into the solution with higher solute concentration; this balances the
concentration of solute on the inside and outside of the cell. Our graph supports this conclusion
as the x-coordinates that correspond with test tubes #1-6 have y-coordinates that display a
negative percentage change in mass.

2)
An isotonic solution requires an equal solute concentration on both the inside and outside of the
cell. Analyzing the graph, we observe that the x-coordinate of 0.4 corresponds with the
y-coordinate of 0.0. Through this observation we can determine the sucrose solution is isotonic
at a concentration of 0.4 mol/L, due to the 0.0% change resulting from the initial and final mass
being the exact same. This concludes how at the sucrose concentration of 0.4, there was no
movement of water through the membrane using osmosis, and the piece of potato maintains its
original shape and mass.