The Effect of Salt Concentration on the Weight and Length of a Potato Chip

The Effect of Salt Concentration on the Weight and Length of a Potato Chip

I am trying to find out if and how different concentrations of salt

solution affect the weight and length of a potato chip in a certain

amount of time. This will involve me performing the experiment,

measuring the potato cylinders weight and length before and after the

experiment putting results in a table producing charts showing the

differences or similarities in results analysing the results and

finally evaluating the whole experiment.

THEORY

I already know that osmosis will only occur across a semi-permeable

membrane, which means that the membrane will only let certain things

come into the cell and let certain things out (look at figure number

1), whenever there is a difference in the concentrations on the two

sides of a cell membrane. I also know that osmosis is when water

molecules travel from a diluted solution to a more concentrated one.

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PREDICTION

I predict that the cylinder of potato chip in pure water (0.0 molar)

will have its' cells become most turgid, this is when protoplast

pushes against the cell wall (see Fig. 2), and the cells of the

cylinder of potato chip in the 0.6 molar concentration will become

plasmolysed, this is when protoplast shrinks away (see Fig. 3) so I

think the greater the concentration of salt the more plasmolysed the

cells become.

I will know if the cells are turgid or plasmolysed, with out having to

look at them through a microscope because the longer and heavier the

cells are the more turgid the cells will be so I can find out the

condition of the cell by comparing the weight and length of the

cylinders at the end of the experiment to their weight and length at

the beginning.

Fig. 2

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Fig. 3

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APPARATUS

For this experiment I will require the following:

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· POTATOES

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· 7 TEST TUBES