Potato Osmosis Lab

Introduction:

Osmosis occurs when water molecules across a membrane move from an area of high water concentration to an area of lower concentration. There are three different concentrations; hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic. Hypertonic are concentrations that have less water and higher solute concentration. Hypotonic, in addition have more water concentration and lower solute concentration. Isotonic are solution is which water molecules and solute molecules have an equal concentration, that means that the water diffuses in equal rates. Glucose is a sugar that can be used in many different forms. Glucose in plants is used by photosynthesis and is needed in order for respiration to occur and produce energy or to produce cellulose and proteins.

Procedure:
• Cut each fruit in pieces and then weight them before you insert them in the solution.
• Fill each beaker with 200 ml water, measure by the graduated cylinder.
• Every beaker will have a different concentration of glucose (9g, 18g, 27g and 36g).
• Add one piece of fruit in each beaker.
• Weight each piece of fruit after leaving them in the concentration for 3 hours.
• Examine the differences in percentage concentration for each fruit piece.
• Wipe the extract water and then measure your pieces.
• You will be examining the percentage by weighting the fruit pieces before and after you insert them in the beaker and they have been in there for a day.

Table 1: Initial weight of each piece of fruit.

Pear’s weight Apple’s weight Banana’s weight Orange’s weight

Table.2: Final weight of the average of each piece of fruit after three hours in the glucose solution.

Glucose Pear’s weight Apple’s weight Banana’s weight Orange’s weight
Average of the trials of 9g
Average of the trials of