The Effect of Concentration on Osmosis in Potatoe Chips

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The Effect of Concentration on Osmosis in Potatoe Chips

Studying the change in osmosis in potato chips placed in sugar

solutions.

Observation:

I have noticed that potato chips decrease in mass when they are in a

high concentration of sugar solution and increase in mass when they

are in a low concentration of sugar solution.

Hypothesis

· A potato chip left in a low concentration of sugar solution will

gain mass where as a potato chip left in a high concentration of sugar

solution will lose mass.

Preliminary work

Before conducting the experiment I carried out some smaller

investigations, to determine how to perform the experiment.

I placed 3 half potatoes in water, having sliced off the bottom and

bored a hole in the centre I filled one with salt, one with sugar and

left one empty to act as a control.

We set the apparatus out like this:

[IMAGE]

(A cross section)

I left the experiment for two days. I found that the potato with sugar

in it had a dark brown liquid in it and the control potato had dried

up. This experiment showed osmosis, where water moves from a dilute

solution to a more concentrate solution.

To decide what to measurements to use for the main investigation I did

some additional experiments.

To decide what % sugar solution I should use. I made up several sugar

solutions, I weighed and placed a small potato chip in each, I left

the experiment for 1hour, I weighed them again. When the solution was

more than 20% it was saturated so I used 5 different solutions (0%,

5%, 10%, 15%, 20%)

MAIN INVESTIGATION

Variables

· The independent variable will be the concentration of the sugar.

· The Dependant variable will be the density (in g/cm3) of the potato

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