F4 KSSM

EXPERIMENT
Problem statement
How do the water molecules permeate across selectively permeable membranes?

Hypothesis
Water molecules permeate from an area of high water potential to an area of low water potential.

Variables
Manipulated: Time
Responding: Increase in the level of sucrose solution in a capillary tube
Fixed: Concentration of sucrose solution
Materials
30% sucrose solution, Visking tubing (12 cm), thread and distilled water

Apparatus
Retort stand with a clamp, 25 cm capillary tube, syringe, ruler, 50 ml beaker, marker pen,
scissors and stopwatch
Procedure
1 Cut a Visking tubing (12 cm).
2 Soak the Visking tubing in water for 5 minutes to soften it.
3 Tie one end of the Visking tubing tightly using thread to form a bag.
4 Fill the Visking tubing with the 30% sucrose solution using the syringe
5 Tightly tie the other end of the Visking tubing to a capillary tube.
6 Rinse the outer part of the Visking tubing with distilled water.
7 Clamp the capillary tube vertically to the retort stand.
8 Immerse the Visking tubing in a beaker containing distilled water.
9 With a marker pen, mark the level of sucrose solution in the capillary tube at the beginning of the
experiment.
10 Measure and record the level of sucrose solution in the capillary tube for every 2 minutes from the
previous level for 12 minutes.
11 Plot a graph of the level of sucrose solution (mm) against time (minutes)
Results
Time (minutes) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Level of sucrose solution (mm)
Discussion
1 Based on the graph, explain the relationship between the levels of sucrose solution and time.

2 What caused the change in the levels of sucrose solution?

3 What inferences can be made regarding the size of the sucrose molecules and water, and the pore
size of the Visking tubing?

4 Predict the results if the experiment is repeated using a Visking tubing filled with distilled water,
and a beaker filled with a 30% sucrose solution.
Conclusion
Is the hypothesis accepted? Suggest a suitable conclusion
Problem statement
What is the concentration of the extracellular solution which is isotonic to the cell sap of
potatoes?

Hypothesis
Concentration of the extracellular solution which is isotonic to the potato cell sap does not
change the mass of the potato cell sa

Variables
Manipulated: Concentration of sucrose solution
Responding: Percentage of difference in the mass of potato strips
Fixed: Soaking period, surrounding temperature and type of potato
Materials
Potato, distilled water, 0.1 M, 0.2 M, 0.3 M, 0.4 M, 0.5 M, 0.6 M sucrose solutions and filter
paper

Apparatus
Test tube, cork borer, knife, forceps, ruler, 50 ml beaker, measuring cylinder, test tube rack and
electronic weighing scale
Procedure
1 Seven petri dishes are prepared and labelled as A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
2 Fill each beaker with the following solutions:
Beaker A: distilled water
Beaker B: 0.1 M sucrose solution
Beaker C: 0.2 M sucrose solution
Beaker D: 0.3 M sucrose solution
Beaker E: 0.4 M sucrose solution
Beaker F: 0.5 M sucrose solution
Beaker G: 0.6 M sucrose solution

3 A medium-sized cork borer is pressed into a potato.

4 The potato strip is then removed from the cork borer.

5 Next, the potato strip is cut to 50 mm in length.

Procedure
6 Steps 3 to 5 are repeated to obtain 6 more cylinder of potato strips of the same length.

7 Wipe the potato strips using filter paper and each is weighed to get the initial mass

8 Pour the solutions in beaker A to G into the test tube A to G, respectively. Each potato strip is soaked
completely in each test tube.

9 After soaking for 30 minutes, remove each potato strip from the respective test tube and wipe dry
with a filter paper. Weigh each strip to get the final mass.

10 The results are recorded. Plot a graph of the percentage of difference in mass against the
concentration of sucrose solution
Test tube Beaker Mass of potato strips (g) Difference in mass (g) Percentage of
difference in
mass (%)

Initial mass Final mass

A Distilled water

B 0.2 M sucrose solution

C 0.4 M sucrose solution

D 0.6 M sucrose solution

E 0.8 M sucrose solution

F 1.0 M sucrose solution

Discussion
1 What is the texture and condition of each potato strip after being soaked in different
concentrations of sucrose solutions?

2 How do you determine the concentration of sucrose solution which is isotonic to the potato
sap cell from your graph?

3 Based on the experiment, discuss the process of osmosis in different concentrations of sucrose
solutions.