In this lab, we put one egg in sugar water and the other in deionized water, to see how a cell's internal environment changes as its external environment changes.
When the sugar concentration increased, the mass and circumference decreased. The cell's mass changed by an average of -47.25% and the circumference changed by an average of -22.94%. The sugar solution is a hypertonic solution because there is more solute outside the cell. Now, there is high solute concentration (sugar) and low solvent concentration (water) outside the cell than inside the cell. To balance the concentration, the water inside the cell diffused to the area outside the cell where there was a low concentration of water. The sugar could not go inside the cell, because the cell membrane is semipermeable and does not allow solutes to pass through since they are too big.
A cell's internal environment changes as the external environment changes to maintain homeostasis. Sometimes, the cell can grow and shrink using diffusion to maintain the concentration gradient. When we put the cell in vinegar, it grew because the solvent concentration outside the cell was high, and in the water it grew even more. However, when we put it in the sugar water, it shrunk because all the water diffused out.
We learned a lot about diffusion, solvents, and solutes and how they help a cell live. One major biological principle we learned in class was passive diffusion and the concentration gradient. This concept is used a lot in real life as well. When roads are salted to melt the ice, it can sometimes cause the plants to shrivel up because there is a lot more solute outside the plants' cells now, so the water inside the cells will leave the cell, causing it to shrink.
One experiment I want to do is to see if all cells will react the same way. I could see if fresh fruits and vegetables react the same way when they are put in sugar water or deionized water.
When the sugar concentration increased, the mass and circumference decreased. The cell's mass changed by an average of -47.25% and the circumference changed by an average of -22.94%. The sugar solution is a hypertonic solution because there is more solute outside the cell. Now, there is high solute concentration (sugar) and low solvent concentration (water) outside the cell than inside the cell. To balance the concentration, the water inside the cell diffused to the area outside the cell where there was a low concentration of water. The sugar could not go inside the cell, because the cell membrane is semipermeable and does not allow solutes to pass through since they are too big.
A cell's internal environment changes as the external environment changes to maintain homeostasis. Sometimes, the cell can grow and shrink using diffusion to maintain the concentration gradient. When we put the cell in vinegar, it grew because the solvent concentration outside the cell was high, and in the water it grew even more. However, when we put it in the sugar water, it shrunk because all the water diffused out.
We learned a lot about diffusion, solvents, and solutes and how they help a cell live. One major biological principle we learned in class was passive diffusion and the concentration gradient. This concept is used a lot in real life as well. When roads are salted to melt the ice, it can sometimes cause the plants to shrivel up because there is a lot more solute outside the plants' cells now, so the water inside the cells will leave the cell, causing it to shrink.
One experiment I want to do is to see if all cells will react the same way. I could see if fresh fruits and vegetables react the same way when they are put in sugar water or deionized water.
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