osmosis
Osmosis in Plants
Outline:
To investigate the effect of varying concentration of a certain sugar solution on the amount of osmotic activity between the solution and a potato chip of a given size.
Definition - Osmosis:
Movement of a solvent (liquid) through a semi-permeable membrane separating solutions of different concentrations. The solvent passes from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution until the two concentrations are equal.
All cell membranes behave as semi permeable membranes, and osmosis is a vital mechanism in the transport of fluids in living organisms for example, in the transport of water from the roots up the stems of plants. Further relevant information on potato plant cells:
Plant cells always have a strong cell wall surrounding them. When they take up water by osmosis they start to swell, but the cell wall prevents them from bursting. Plant cells become "turgid" when they are put in dilute solutions. Turgid means swollen and hard. The pressure inside the cell rises and eventually the internal pressure of the cell is so high that no more water can enter the cell. This liquid or hydrostatic pressure works against osmosis. Turgidity is very important to plants because this is what make the green parts of the plant "stand up" into the sunlight.
When plant cells are placed in concentrated sugar solutions they lose water by osmosis and they become "flaccid." This is the exact opposite of "turgid". The contents of the potato cells
Shrinks and pulls away from the cell wall. These cells are said to be plasmolysed.
When plant cells are placed in a solution which has exactly the same osmotic strength as the cells they are in a state between turgidity and flaccidity. We call this incipient plasmolysis. "Incipient" means "about to be".
Plant cell structure:
Plant Structure:
How does Photosynthesis Work?:
Outline:
To investigate the effect of varying concentration of a certain sugar solution on the amount of osmotic activity between the solution and a potato chip of a given size.
Definition - Osmosis:
Movement of a solvent (liquid) through a semi-permeable membrane separating solutions of different concentrations. The solvent passes from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution until the two concentrations are equal.
All cell membranes behave as semi permeable membranes, and osmosis is a vital mechanism in the transport of fluids in living organisms for example, in the transport of water from the roots up the stems of plants. Further relevant information on potato plant cells:
Plant cells always have a strong cell wall surrounding them. When they take up water by osmosis they start to swell, but the cell wall prevents them from bursting. Plant cells become "turgid" when they are put in dilute solutions. Turgid means swollen and hard. The pressure inside the cell rises and eventually the internal pressure of the cell is so high that no more water can enter the cell. This liquid or hydrostatic pressure works against osmosis. Turgidity is very important to plants because this is what make the green parts of the plant "stand up" into the sunlight.
When plant cells are placed in concentrated sugar solutions they lose water by osmosis and they become "flaccid." This is the exact opposite of "turgid". The contents of the potato cells
Shrinks and pulls away from the cell wall. These cells are said to be plasmolysed.
When plant cells are placed in a solution which has exactly the same osmotic strength as the cells they are in a state between turgidity and flaccidity. We call this incipient plasmolysis. "Incipient" means "about to be".
Plant cell structure:
Plant Structure:
How does Photosynthesis Work?: