You are on page 1of 2

Diffusion and Osmosis Lab

Introduction
In this lab, we will be observing the properties of semi-permeable membranes. "Semipermeable" means that some molecules can pass through but others cannot. The membrane can
choose which substances to let through based on variables such as the substances size or
composition. This lab will simulate a cell membrane with a dialysis tube.

Purpose
To demonstrate the movement of molecules through a semi-permeable membrane

Procedure
1. Cut a strip of dialysis tubing about 15 cm in length and open it to form a tube
Tie one end off to turn it into a sack
2. Now add about 40 or 50 ml of the starch and tie off the other end to form a sausage-like
container. It is essential there be no leaks in the sack.
3. Using the wash bottle, completely rinse off the dialysis tubing sack to ensure there is not any
starch on the exterior. Be especially sure to rinse the ends very thoroughly.
4. Fill a beaker with distilled water and place the sack in it.
5. Add approximately 5 ml of IKI solution into the beaker to test for the presence of starch.
Record all observations for at least 10 minutes.

Observations
At first the dialysis tubing was filled with starch, the starch was a translucent white color. I
submerged the tubing into the beaker filled with the IKI solution which was a very dark, rust
color. After 10 minutes, I pulled the tubing out of the beaker and discovered that the some of the
liquid inside the dialysis bag had turned into a dark purple-blue color.

Analysis of Data
The reason why the contents of the dialysis bag turned from a milky white into a purple-blue
color is because the starch inside the dialysis bag reacted with the IKI solution. I have drawn the
conclusion that IKI is small enough to pass through the dialysis bag's semi-permeable membrane
and starch cannot. This is proven because the starch remained inside the dialysis bag while the
IKI was able to leak inside the bag. This is observed when the starch reacted with the IKI inside
the dialysis bag turning the contents purple-blue. However, the IKI outside the dialysis bag
remained a rusty brown. This means that the starch remained inside the dialysis bag and was not
able to react with the IKI outside the tube because it was too big to pass through the membrane.
Water is able to pass through the membrane because its molecule is small enough to penetrate
the dialysis tube pores. This is because water is composed of only 2 hydrogen atoms and 1
oxygen which is relatively smaller than starch which is made up of a chain of glucose molecules
which is in turn made up of 6 carbons, 12 hydrogens and 6 oxygens. Water behaves the way it
does because of osmosis. The concentration of water inside the dialysis tube was less than when
compared to the concentration outside of the tubing so because of osmosis, water tries to push its
way inside the tubing to equilibrize the concentration of water also known as hypotonic.
Proteins are made up of a chain of multiple sugars meaning it is much to big to fit through the
pores of the semi-permeable membrane. Glucose however, is a relatively small molecule so it
would be able to pass through the membrane.
Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to and area of
lower concentration. Particles disperse during diffusion because of the concentration gradient
which moves the molecules until equilibrium is achieved and they are distributed equally.
Membranes are not always involved in the diffusion process.
A solute is a substance that is dissolved in a solution, a solvent is a solution that dissolves other
substances. Water is the main solvent of all living cells.
In the diagram, water would move from the 95% side to the 70% side. This is called osmosis, the
movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a more concentrated area to a less
concentrated area.
Conclusion
The movement of the IKI and inactivity of the starch molecule inside and out of the dialysis tube
properly stimulates and demonstrates a cell membrane and the diffusion and osmosis that it
undergoes. Starch was too big to pass through the pores of the dialysis tube's semi-permeable
membrane while both water and iodine are small enough to pass through with diffusion and
osmosis.

You might also like