Potato Osmosis Lab

Tonicity effects on Plant & Animal Cells

In order to understand the concept of the three solutions; hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic, used in the experiment one must learn to understand the concept of how and why molecules move by processes of osmosis. As conducted, this hands-on experiment will help you examine water molecule movement when exposing the plant cell that make up the potato to be either hypertonic or hypotonic solutions. Although, plant cells have rigid cell walls external to the plasma membrane versus animals that do not make a difference that can result in an opposite outcome when being placed in these two solutions. I believe that experiment b (potato mixed with salt and water) will be more affected since it will conflict

with salt mixed in water. He water molecules will become hypertonic leaving the potato slice to shrink its size, versus experiment a (potato only mixed in water) which becomes isotonic leaving the slice to be the same as it was before the placement in water. Each plasma membrane between these two slices shows a different solution within each cup. Although experiment (A) undergoes osmosis being sunk into the water and no form of change happens as for experiment b that undergoes tonicity changing the shape of cells by their water volumes.
In order to conduct this experimental application, many materials were used to help investigate the effects on the two slices used such as cups, salt, potatoes, and etc.

First of all, I started with the two cups to help provide the separation of the two potato slices and that helped by keeping the different mixed water solutions apart from one another by sitting in the cups. After that, I poured salt into one of the cups to help differentiate the effects in the potato by providing a solution into the water to help see an outcome in the slice. In order to put the right amount of salt into the cup, I also had to measure it in tablespoons to get the exact amount without going over the limited amount of salt needed in the experiment. With that being said, I then used a knife and tape measure to cut the precise size of the potato needed to conduct the experiment in order to fit in the cup. Not including the potato and water itself to explain the different solutions used and created as mixed in together.

The results show that the potato becomes hypertonic by affecting its’ tonicity as for the other slice becoming hypotonic leaving no change and creating osmosis.

Tonicity Effects on Plant Cells

Before After

Experiment A Experiment B Experiment A Experiment B

Length 7 cm 7 cm 7 cm 6 cm

Width 1.5 cm 1.5 cm 1.5 cm 1.5 cm

Texture Smooth inside, rough outside, with noticeable spots Smooth inside, rough outside, with noticeable spots Smooth

inside,
Rough only on top of the inside, and top is thicker Smooth all around, top gets thinner, and peel falling apart

As seen above the differences between plant cells being soaked in water being experiment A and experiment B being soaked in salt and water combined. During the process, experiment A eventually lost color in the water within the inside of the potato as if it’s becoming softer and the texture decreases in thickness. Before that occurred it started off with a smooth inside and rough outer core eventually becoming rougher on the inside. As for experiment b resulting in different outcomes the potato mixed with salt turns hypertonic leaving the end result to shrinking the size and losing its color becoming dull and also allowing the texture to become smooth all around thinner inner core. When animal cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, they will take in water due to osmosis, since they are more flexible they can react more adversely to changes in their concentration of solution around them. In an animal cell, hypotonic solutions cause them to swell becoming bigger than the normal size it was depending on how long it is for an individual cell.
In conclusion, to be able to understand the concept of the three solutions used in the experiment one must learn to understand the concept of how and why molecules move by processes of osmosis. As previously examined this hands-on experiment will help process water molecule movement when exposing the plant cell that make up the potato to be either hypertonic or hypotonic. Lastly, reviewing the results makes a huge impact since it proves how these solutions undergo different process whether the potatoes are placed into something physically mixed. Although, the results were somewhat the outcome of the hypothesis it eventually can be changed into different outcomes if one switched up the experiment by mixing the potato into something else or even the amount of salt used to be able to examine the process. All in all, they both went through a solution of hypotonic, hypertonic, and osmosis within its plasma membranes leading them to differentiate the effects of tonicity.