Investigating Whether a Sugared Solution Has an Effect on Potatoes

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Investigating Whether a Sugared Solution Has an Effect on Potatoes

Osmosis is the passage of water molecules from a weaker solution into

a stronger solution through a partially permeable membrane.

In this case, Osmosis applies to our practical because we are trying

to see if a sugared solution (sucrose) has an effect on potatoes. I

aim 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. I will also endeavour to find the

exact (or as near as possible) concentration of sucrose solution when

no osmosis occurs and the concentrations are equal.

Preliminary Work

In a sense, preliminary work is as important as the actual experiment.

It allows you to make hypotheses before performing actual tests.

For my preliminary work, I used a 50 mm piece of potato. It was easy

to cut 50 mm (using a Vernier calliper) and to weigh them (using

electronic scales to two decimal places). We used 10 mls of sugar

solution/distilled water- this was the amount needed to cover one

piece of potato. This was put in a test tube along with a piece of the

potato and these were then put in a test tube rack. The first thing we

needed to observe was how different concentrations affected the weight

and length of the potato. We therefore needed to observe each end of

the spectrum. We tried 0.0 molar concentration (the lowest) and 0.8

molar (the highest.)

We then left each test until the next lesson, and then took the

measurement of the potato chips once more. This is my results table:

Concentration

Initial length

Final Length

Percentage difference

Initial mass

Final mass

Percentage difference

0 molar (water)

5 cm

5.15 cm

3 %

1.69 g

1.76 g

4.14 %

0 molar (water)

5 cm

5.2 cm

4 %

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