Glencoe Osmosis Virtual Lab

Diffusion Virtual Lab
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/LS03/LS03.html
I. Background information: A cell membrane permits some materials to pass through while
keeping other materials out. Such a membrane is called selectively permeable. Under normal
conditions, water constantly passes in and out of this membrane. This diffusion of water through a
selectively permeable membrane is called osmosis. Like other substances, water diffuses from an
area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
When the movement of water molecules in and out of a cell reaches the same rate, a state of
equilibrium is reached. If the concentration of water molecules is greater outside a cell, then the
solution is hypotonic to the cell. Water will move into the cell by osmosis. The pressure against the
inside of the cell membrane will steadily increase. If the pressure becomes great enough, the cell
membrane will burst. A solution is isotonic to the inside of the cell when there is the same
concentration of water molecules on the inside and outside of the cell membrane. To maintain
equilibrium, water molecules move into and out of the cell at the same rate. Suppose a living cell is
placed in a solution that has a higher salt concentration than the cell has. Such a solution is
hypertonic to the cell, because there are more salt ions and fewer water molecules per unit volume
outside the cell than inside.
Water will move from the area of higher water concentration (inside the cell) to the area of lower
water concentration (outside the cell). The selectively permeable membrane does not allow salt ions
to pass into the cell. The cell shrinks as the cell loses water.
II. Objectives:
• Describe the process of osmosis
• Observe the movement of water through cell membranes during the process of osmosis
• Compare and contrast three osmotic states: hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic
III. Procedure:
Part 1: Red Blood Cell
__1. Select the red blood cell at the top of the screen and drag it into the hypotonic beaker.
__2. Observe the process of osmosis. Determine whether water (represented as blue arrows)
moves into the cell, stays in equilibrium, or moves out of the cell. Observe what happens to the
shape and size of the cell.
__3. Record your observations in the Data Table.
__4. Click at the bottom. Now drag the red blood cell to the isotonic beaker.
Observe the process of osmosis again and record your observations in the Data Table.
__5. Click at the bottom. Now drag the red blood cell to the hypertonic beaker.
Part 2: Elodea Cell
__1. Select the elodea cell at the top of the screen and drag it into the hypotonic beaker.
moves into, stays in equilibrium, or moves out of the cell. Observe what happens to the shape
and size of the cell.
__4. Click at the bottom. Now drag the elodea cell to the isotonic beaker.
__5. Click at the bottom. Now drag the elodea cell to the hypertonic beaker.
Part 3: Paramecium Cell
__1. Select the paramecium cell at the top of the screen and drag it into the hypotonic beaker.
moves into, stays in equilibrium, or moves out of the cell. Observe what happens to the shape
and size of the cell.
__4. Click at the bottom. Now drag the paramecium cell to the isotonic beaker.
__5. Click at the bottom. Now drag the paramecium cell to the hypertonic
beaker. Observe the process of osmosis again and record your observations in the Data Table.
IV. Results:
Data Table Title: _________________________________________________________
V. Analysis: Answer the following questions

1. Did water move into or out of the cell while it was surrounded by a hypotonic solution? _______
2. Did water move into or out of the cell while it was surrounded by a hypertonic solution? ______
3. Did water move into or out of the cell while it was surrounded by an isotonic solution? _______
4. Compare and contrast what happens to an animal, a plant, and a paramecium cell in a hypotonic,
hypertonic, and isotonic solution. ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Could elodea or paramecium from a freshwater lake be expected to survive if transplanted into the
ocean? Explain. _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6. If you grill a steak, would it be better to put salt on it before or after you cooked it? Explain in
terms of osmosis. _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Why does salad become soggy and wilted when the dressing has been on it for a while? Explain in
terms of osmosis. _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
8. An effective way to kill weeds is to pour salt water on the ground around the plants. Explain why
the weeds die, using the principles discovered in the virtual lab. _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Model what you saw:

Directions: Draw an arrows into, out of, or in both directions to model how an animal cell would
behave in the three types of solutions below. On the line below the beaker write “swells”, “shrinks”,
or “no change” to predict the water movement over time.
Cell in hypotonic solution Cell in isotonic solution Cell in hypertonic solution

__________________ _________________ __________________

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Diffusion Virtual Lab

V. Analysis: Answer the following questions

Model what you saw:

Cell in hypotonic solution Cell in isotonic solution Cell in hypertonic solution

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