Respiratory System Diffusion Lab
1. Describe the changes that occurred to the salt and to the potato
Numerous changes occurred to the salt and potato from the start to end of the experiment. At the starting of the experiment, the mass of the potato was 16.4 grams; while at the end the mass decreased, by 1.4 grams, to give a mass of 15.0 grams. Also, at the starting, the salt was completely white and was completely dry, at the end though the salt became wet, soggy and changed in color to yellow. Lastly, the salt on the potato spread out and not a lot of salt was found on the potato compared to the start of the experiment.
2. Explain what process caused the results. Be certain to back up your response with at least three pieces of evidence. One piece of evidence must be quantitative. Explain how the process worked in this lab
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In the process of diffusion, the molecules move from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration. The process worked as the concentration of salt was higher compared to the concentration of the cells in the potato which was lower. The skin of the potato acted like a semi-permeable membrane. As there was some water content in the cells of the potato, to achieve equilibrium with the salt, the water had to be absorbed by the salt through the process of osmosis. As a result, one qualitative observation at the end of the lab was that there was a lot of water content outside of the potato compared to the start when the petri-dish was completely dry. Also, when equilibrium was achieved the water content of the potato decreased causing the mass of the potato to decrease by 1.4 grams from the start of the experiment. The last piece of evidence that shows diffusion occurred was that the salt had become more wet and soggy, this showed how the water in the potato’s cells had come out when finding the stage of