Question

Osmosis 5. Did water flow into or out of the plant cells (potato cells) in each of the samples examined? How do you know this? 6. Would this experiment work with other plant cells? What about with animal cells? Why or why not? 7. From what you know of tonicity, what can you say about the plant cells and the solutions in the test tubes? What do your results show about the concentration of the cytoplasm in the potato cells at 8. the start of the experiment? 9. If the potato is allowed to dehydrate by sitting in open air, would the potato cells be more likely to absorb more or less water? Explain.

Answer 1

5. In the first type, the water has moved out as the net displacement is positive which is +1ml.

In the second type, there is no displacement of water. This means the movement of water from inside to outside and vice - versa is the same.

In the third type, the water has moved out as the net displacement is positive which is +2ml.

In the fourth type, the water has moved from inside to outside as the net displacement of water is negative which is -1ml.

6. The experiment is about tonicity. If you place an animal or a plant cell in a hypertonic solution, the cell shrinks because it loses water ( water moves from a higher concentration inside the cell to a lower concentration outside

Animal cells do not have cell walls. In hypotonic solutions, animal cells swell up and explode as they cannot become turgid because there is no cell wall to prevent the cell from bursting. But if a plant cell is placed in hypotonic solution the water will move inside and the cell will become turgid as it possesses a cell wall.

In isotonic solution plant cells or animal cells would not change in size; the exchange of water molecules in and out of the cell would be equal.

Animal cells lack the strong cell wall, so they shrink in size when placed in a hypertonic solution, and will swell and may burst in a hypotonic solution.

7. The hypertonic solution has a lower water concentration than the hypotonic solution, so a concentration gradient of water now exists across the membrane. Water molecules will move from the side of higher water concentration to the side of lower concentration until both solutions are isotonic.

In the first type of sample, water has moved towards the hypertonic solution which is present outside.

In the second type of sample, the solutions are isotonic.

In the third type of sample, water has moved towards the hypertonic solution which is present outside.

In the fourth type of sample, water has moved inside that is the inside solution is hypertonic and the outside solution is hypotonic.

8. At the start of the experiment, the potato cell was hypotonic.

9. If it dehydrates then it loses water then probably it would absorb more water. ( i am not sure about the last one)