Lab introduction

Cell Membrane is known as phospholipid bilayer which is selective permeable. Cell

membrane performs its function by transporting substance from exterior and interior and vice versa
of the cell. There are two types of transport, which can be divided into Active transport and Passive
transport. Active transport allows solutes to move against the concentration gradient from lower to
higher concentration of solutes which requires energy(ATP). On the other hand, Passive transport
allows solutes to move downhill with the concentration gradient from higher to lower concentration
of solutes which does not require energy to perform (Passive transport and active transport across
a cell membranearticle, 2017). Furthermore, passive transport can be divided into three types,
which are simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis. Diffusion is the simplest way of
passive transport which is related to solute. Simple diffusion is the movement of small polar
molecules(which has a slightly charge) and non-polar molecules(which has no charge) . While
facilitated diffusion is the movement of large molecules or ions (full charged molecules) through
channel and carrier proteins. In contrast, Osmosis is another type of passive transport related only
to water which allows water molecules to move from low to high concentration of solutes. In order
for the osmosis to be occurred, either the environment or the cell need to be hypertonic, hypotonic,
or isotonic. Hypertonic solution is the solution with higher concentration of solute while hypotonic
conversely is the the solution with lower concentration of solute. An isotonic solution indicates two
solution with same concentration of solutes and solvent. For example, if the hypotonic cell is
exposed to hypertonic environment, meaning that cell contains higher lower of solutes, the cell will
shrink. On the contrary, if the hypertonic cell is exposed to hypotonic cell, it will swell. Lastly, if both
cell and environment are isotonic, osmosis will still occur with no change of solute and solvents
amount in both cell and environment, and no change of physical feature (Study guide - Cellular
communication, 2015).

According to the experiment, potatoes and jellies which represent the cell are placed in
distilled water as hypotonic solution and concentrated salt water as hypertonic solution which
makes another piece of potato and another jelly hypotonic. Lastly, the purpose of the experiment is
to understand how osmosis occurs through observing the effect of osmosis by comparing potatoes
and jellies placed in different solutions.

References

- Passive transport and active transport across a cell membranearticle. (2017). Retrieved from
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/transport-across-a-cell-membrane/a/passive-
transport-and-active-transport-across-a-cell-membrane-article

- Study guide - Cellular communication. (2015). Retrieved from https://moodle.kent.ac.uk/external/

mod/book/view.php?id=2396&chapterid=81