A.

As we, my group mates, observed in the microscope, we noticed that the specimens
that have been used have similarity in terms of the effect of solutions that we put in the
specimens. The specimens have differences when it comes to the color and shape of the specific
specimens. The Tradescantia Spethaceae seems to be a layer of over-lapped plant cell or a
rhombus shaped object. This plant cell has black line which shows the rhombus shape to be
more identified. It also has a color purple on it and a little bit of green in the side part.
The solutions that have been used in Tradescantia Spethaceae were 1% of NaCl, 3% of
NaCl and 5% of NaCl. The effect of 1% salt solution in the plant cell was not visible because 1
gram of solute was not enough to kill the cell in the Tradescantia leaves while the effect of 3%
solution was a little bit visible because of the color that appeared. 5% solution made the plant
cell produced a burnt appearance in different parts of the plant cell. The negative effect of the
said solution was clearly seen when we reached the 5%. The salt solution had a negative effect
because of the process of osmosis. It is the movement of water across a membrane. Basically,
salt triggers osmosis by attracting the water and causing it to move toward it, across the
membrane. Salt is a solute. When you add water to a solute, it diffuses, spreading out the
concentration of salt, creating a solution. If the concentration of salt inside a cell is the same as
the concentration of salt outside the cell, the water level will stay the same, creating an isotonic
solution. Plants cells have this thick and tough semi permeable wall that surrounds them so
when you drop a salt solution into a leaf, the concentration gradient of the external
environment is high compared to the internal water inside the cell. The water will naturally exit
the leaf in an effort to neutralize the salt outside. This causes dehydration and will kill the leaf.
For example, a person could die from dehydration if he drinks enough sea water because the
salt leaches the water from the cells. Water migrates across the barrier to equalize the solute
concentration on both sides. This migration is what is known as osmosis. The more salt there is
in the blood stream, the greater the osmotic pressure, and the faster the cells lose water.
Consequently, after drinking salt water, your body may be full of water, but you feel thirstier
than you did before.
But why the outcome for the 1% solution was not that bad unlike the result in 5%
solution? It is because the osmotic pressure depends only on the number of solute particles, not
on their composition. Increasing the concentration of solute reduces the space available for
water molecules, which reduces their numbers. This increases the tendency of the water to flow
into that side from the other side. To anthropomorphize slightly, the greater the difference in
concentration of water molecules, the more they "want" to move across the barrier to the side
containing the solute.
How about the plants that live in salt water? Aquatic plants do not need to be watered.
Plants that live in fresh water would be killed if salt levels in the water became too high. Aquatic
plants that live in salt water or even the plants that live near sea shore are adapted to live in this
environment so they will not be killed by salt water.
B.

However, this specimen is considered to be an animal cell. As you observed in the figure…
the red blood cells have a hundreds of tiny red blood cells; there are billions circulating
throughout our blood stream. Red blood cells doesn’t have nucleus, which means they can't
divide. Red blood cells are disk shaped, with an indentation in the center.

The solutions that have been used in red blood cells were no sugar solution, 1% of
C12H22O11, 3% of C12H22O11 and 5% of C12H22O11. Red blood cells with no sugar solution don’t have
an effect at all. The number of cells was normal. Dropping 1% solution, 3% solution and 5%
solution demonstrates the effects of osmosis and the resultant changes in cell volume. As the
solution increases the number of cells decreases. But why the number of cells decreases? Red
blood cells are considered to be an animal cell. Animal cell do not have cell wall, so in hypertonic
solutions water diffuses out of the cell due to osmosis and the cell shrinks.

C.

Different from the first 2 specimens that shows how the osmosis works. Many of the
foods we eat are colored with artificial dyes. Some of these dyes will easily dissolve in water.
The nips started to spread its color as the time goes by because of the water that has been
poured in the center of the container. This means that when foods containing the dyes are
placed in water, the molecules that make up the dye will break away from the food and start to
spread out in the water. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration through random motion. Given enough time, the
concentration of molecules will eventually become even. Unlike some other chemical reactions,
no catalyst is needed to start the process of diffusion, because of the internal energy of the
individual molecules. The rate of diffusion is affected by properties of the cell, the diffusing
molecule and the surrounding solution. Diffusion occurs whenever random molecular motion
causes molecules to move and mix together. This random motion is powered by the heat energy
present in the surrounding environment.

Generally, the tradescantia spethaceae and red blood cells were under the osmosis process
which focus in the movement of the solvent with the help of solute while the nips was under the
diffusion process which focus on the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to
lower concentration. The biological importance of osmosis is that it facilitates the distribution of
essential nutrients in the body and the excretion of metabolic waste products. Cells have semi-
permeable membranes, and osmosis makes it possible for liquid solvents to pass through these cell
membranes. The cells of plants and animals have outer coverings called cell membranes, which serve as
a barrier that separates the cells from their environment. This semi-permeable membrane controls the
substances that enter and leave the cell. This means that not all substances can enter the cell with equal
ease. Without this selective mechanism, all the essential substances spread into the surroundings of the
cell, and even toxic substances are able to invade the cell. Diffusion is important as it allows cells to get
oxygen and nutrients for survival. In addition, it plays a role in cell signaling, which mediates organism
life processes. Overall, these were all important and essential. These makes the impossible possible for
the betterment of our body and also the plants.

B. Methods and Materials (red blood cells)

In this kind of experiment, we brought materials that are needed. Those materials are alcohol
that helped us to clean the area that will be prick along with cotton, the lancet also helped us to pricked
the middle finger, glass slides where the blood was equipped and covered with the cover slips and
dropper to minimize the amount of solution that will be pour in the glass slides while the sugar solutions
that we have used were provided by our teacher.

First we assembled the microscope so that when the specimens are ready it will not be a hassle.
After assembling the microscope, we gently massaged the middle finger of my group mate; we sanitized
the area that had been massaged and we suddenly pricked it by the lancet. We placed a few drops of
blood into the 4 glass slides, in one slide we immediately smeared it 45 degrees and covered it with the
cover slip. The 3 remaining slides waited for at least 1 minute for us to be able to smear it. When we
finally smeared it, we dropped a little bit of 1% sugar solution in 1 slide and covered it with the cover
slip. We repeated the procedure in 3% sugar and 5% sugar. We covered it with the cover slip as soon as
the solution was dropped in the slides. We waited 1 more minute until the specimens were ready to be
examined in microscope.

c.Nips
This experiment was done at home; we prepared the nips, the lid container of the aloe vera gel
and of course the water. We encircled the nips inside the lid container; we also matched the color so
that the outcome will not be unpleasant. When the preparation was done, we assembled the camera
above the nips or the said experiment. We took a video on it so the demonstration will be documented.
We poured the water in the nips and waited until the color of the nips were associated with the water.