Ch – 3

MOVEMENT IN AND OUT OF

CELLS
PART 3 OSMOSIS
OSMOSIS

• Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules from a dilute

solution (high concentration of water) to a more concentrated
solution (low concentration of water) across a partially
permeable membrane.
OR
• Osmosis is the net movement of water molecules from a region
of higher water potential (dilute solution) to a region of lower
water potential (concentrated solution), through a partially
permeable membrane
 WATER POTENTIAL

• The water potential of a solution is a measure of whether it is likely

to lose or gain water molecules from another solution.
• A dilute solution, with its high proportion of free water molecules, is
said to have a higher water potential than a concentrated solution,
because water will flow from the dilute to the concentrated solution.
• Pure water has the highest possible water potential because water
molecules will flow from it to any other aqueous solution, no matter
how dilute.
• When adjacent cells contain sap with different water potentials, a
water potential gradient is created. Water will move from a cell with a
higher water potential (a more dilute solution) to a cell with a lower
water potential
 Dilute solution or Pure water – Concentrated solution –
more free water molecules Less free water molecules
Higher water potential Lower water potential

A B

DUE TO RANDOM MOVEMENTS WATER MOLECULES MOVE IN ALL

DIRECTION BUT
NET MOVEMENT WILL BE MORE WATER MOLECULES FROM HIGHER
WHY WATER NEEDS TO BE MOVING

Water can move in and out of cells by osmosis.

• Water is important to provide support for the cell structure
through maintaining the turgor pressure.
• It also provides a medium in which metabolic reactions
occur.
• Water has a high specific heat capacity, thus acts as a
temperature buffer. This is important as it maintains the
optimum temperature for enzyme reactions.
HOW OSMOSIS
WORKS
Osmosis across living cells – ANIMAL
CELLS
• Cells contain dilute solutions of ions, sugars and amino acids so
have a high water potential.
• The cell membrane is partially permeable.
• Water will move into and out of cells by osmosis.
• SITUATION 1
• If concentration of free water molecules outside the cell is greater
than that inside i.e outside being more dilute, and, therefore, water
will diffuse into the cell by osmosis.
• Water will diffuse in by osmosis.
• Water entering the cell will make it swell up and, unless the extra
water is expelled in some way, the cell will burst.
 SITUATION 2

• Conversely, if the cells are surrounded by a solution which is more

concentrated (with solutes i.e less dilute) than the cytoplasm, water
will pass out of the cell by osmosis and the cell will shrink. Excessive
uptake or loss of water by osmosis may damage cells.
• For this reason, it is very important that the cells in an animal’s body
are surrounded by a liquid which has the same concentration as the
liquid inside the cells. The liquid outside the cells is called tissue fluid
and its concentration depends on the concentration of the blood. In
vertebrates, the concentration of the blood is monitored by the brain
and adjusted by the kidneys.
• By keeping the blood concentration within narrow limits, the
concentration of the tissue fluid remains more or less constant and the
cells are not bloated by taking in too much water or dehydrated by
OUTSIDE MORE CONCENTRATED OUTSIDE LESS CONCENTRATED
/ OUTSIDE LESS FREE WATER MOLECULES / OUTSIDE MORE FREE WATER
MOLECULES
/ OUTSIDE LOWER WATER POTENTIAL / OUTSIDE HIGHER WATER
The importance of water potential and
osmosis in animal cells and tissues

• Single-celled animals such as Amoeba living in fresh water obviously

have a problem. They avoid bursting by possessing a contractile
vacuole. This collects the water as it enters the cell and periodically
releases it through the cell membrane, effectively baling the cell out.
• When surgeons carry out operations on a patient’s internal organs,
they sometimes need to rinse a wound. Pure water cannot be used as
this would enter any cells it came into contact with and cause them to
burst. A saline solution, with the same water potential as tissue fluid,
has to be used.
• Diarrhoea is the loss of watery faeces. It is caused when
water cannot be absorbed from the contents of the large
intestine, or when extra water is secreted into the large
intestine due to a viral or bacterial infection. For example,
the cholera bacterium produces a toxin (poison) that causes
the secretion of chloride ions into the small intestine. This
lowers the water potential of the gut contents, so water is
drawn into the intestine by osmosis. The result is the
production of watery faeces.
• Unless the condition is treated, dehydration and loss of salts
occur, which can be fatal. Patients need rehydration therapy.
This involves the provision of frequent sips of water and the
use of rehydration drinks. These usually come in sachets
available from pharmacists and supermarkets. The contents
are dissolved in water and drunk to replace the salts and
glucose that are lost through dehydration.
 During physical activity, the body may sweat in order to
maintain a steady temperature. If liquids are not drunk to
compensate for water loss through sweating, the body can
become dehydrated.
Loss of water from the blood results in the plasma becoming
more concentrated (its water potential decreases). Water is
then drawn out of the red blood cells by osmosis. The cells
become plasmolysed.
Their surface area is reduced, causing them to be less
effective
That is whyinPeople
carrying oxygen.
doing sportThe shape of the cells is known
as being crenated
sometimes use sports drinks which are
isotonic

PLASMOLYSED RED BLOOD CELLS

Osmosis across living cells – PLANT
CELLS
• The cytoplasm of a plant cell and the cell sap in its vacuole contain
salts, sugars and proteins which effectively reduce the concentration
of free water molecules inside the cell.
• The cell wall is freely permeable to water and dissolved substances
but the cell membrane of the cytoplasm is partially permeable.
SITUATION 1 – NOT ABNORMAL FOR PLANT
CELLS
• If a plant cell is surrounded by water or a solution more dilute than its
contents, water will pass into the vacuole by osmosis.
• The vacuole will expand and press outwards on the cytoplasm and cell
wall.
The cell wall of a mature plant cell cannot be stretched, so there comes
a time
when the inflow of water is resisted by the inelastic cell wall. But cell do
not
When plant
burst. It iscells have absorbed
prevented by cellawall
maximum
by notamount of water
allowing by osmosis,
too much they
of water.
become very rigid, TURGID, due to the pressure of water pressing outwards on
the cell wall. The end result is that the stems and leaves are supported.
 SITUATION 2 - ABNORMAL

• If a plant cell – root hair cells, are surrounded by water or a solution

less dilute than its contents i.e when you don’t water your plants
enough, less water outside, more concentration of salts, water will
pass out of the vacuole by osmosis.
• If the cells lose water there is no longer any water pressure pressing
outwards against the cell walls. The cell becomes FLACCID. It is
becoming plasmolysed.
• The stems and leaves may no longer be supported. At this point, the
plant becomes limp and wilts.
• Highly concentrated solution : In a very concentrated solution, the
cell undergoes full plasmolysis as the cells lose more water. They
shrink and pull away from the cell wall.
 water water
water

PLASMOLYSED

THE SAME
HYPERTONIC
SOLUTION FROM water
OUTSIDE FILLS THE
SPACE CREATED
BETWEEN CELL WALL
AND CELL
MEMBRANE

OUTSIDE MORE CONCENTRATED OUTSIDE LESS CONCENTRATED

/ OUTSIDE LESS FREE WATER MOLECULES / OUTSIDE MORE FREE WATER
MOLECULES
/ OUTSIDE LOWER WATER POTENTIAL / OUTSIDE HIGHER WATER
POTENTIAL
DEFINITION

THE SHRINKING
OF PROTOPLASM
AWAY FROM THE
CELL WALL AFTER
BEING PLACED IN
A SOLUTION THAT
HAS A HIGHER
CONCENTRATION
i.e IS
HYPERTONIC.
IMPORTANCE OF OSMOSIS IN PLANTS

• Plant cells that are turgid are full of water and contain
a high turgor pressure (the pressure of the cytoplasm
pushing against the cell wall)
• This is important for plants as the effect of all the cells in a
plant being firm is to provide support and strength for
the plant – making the plant stand upright with its leaves
held out to catch sunlight
• This pressure prevents any more water entering the
cell by osmosis, even if it is in a solution that has a higher
water potential than inside the cytoplasm of the cells
• This prevents the plant cells from taking in too much water
and bursting
• Plant roots are surrounded by soil water and the cytoplasm of root cells
has a lower water potential than the soil water
• This means water will move across the cell membrane of root hair
cells into the root by osmosis
• The water moves across the root from cell to cell by osmosis until it
reaches the xylem
Once they enter the xylem they are transported away from the root by
the transpiration stream, helping to maintain a concentration
gradient between the root cells and the xylem vessels
Experiments on osmosis-Osmosis and water flow
OSMOSIS ACTIVITY IN THE BOOK ON PAGE 49
WATCH AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o_2lHalH8Q

• A 20 cm length of dialysis tubing made into a bag

• Added 3 cm3 of a strong sugar solution in the tubing
and add a little coloured dye.
• Tie at the end of a long capillary tubing and Push the
capillary tubing into the dialysis tubing until the
sugar solution enters the capillary and mark it.
• Clamp the capillary tubing dipping the dialysis tubing
is in a beaker of water, as shown in the Figure.
• Observe the level of liquid in the capillary tubing
over the next 10–15 minutes.

The level of the coloured solution in the capillary tubing rises

 Experiments on osmosis- The effects of water
and sugar solution on potato tissue
OSMOSIS ACTIVITY IN THE BOOK ON PAGE 50 and 51
WATCH AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTDATlaBV-o

• The most common osmosis practical involves

cutting cylinders of potato and placing them
into distilled water and sucrose solutions of
increasing concentration
• THEORY - In this experiment the solvent
particles are water particles, the selectively
permeable membrane are the cell membranes
of the cells in the potato tissue. The
concentration gradient is the result of the
difference in the concentration of solute in the
cytoplasm of the potato cells and the
solutions.
APPARATUS AND MATERIALS -
• 3 Potato strips (5 x 1 x 1) cm (or potato cylinders/cores of equal
length e.g. 5 cm diameter, made with a cork borer)
• 2 labelled beakers / Petri dishes with equal volumes of solutions A
and B ;
A = sucrose or salt solution (hypertonic solution);
B = distilled water ( hypotonic solution)
• 1 empty petri dish (control)
• paper towels
• Stop watch or timing device
• Top pan balance
• ruler
•Marker pen
PROCEDURE –
• Prepare potato cylinder of same sizes using a cork borer, knife and
ruler.
• Observe each strip by feeling it, noting whether it is turgid or flaccid.
Record this.
• Weigh and measure each potato strip, recording the initial mass and
length
• Place a strip in each beaker / petri dish, taking care not to mix the
strips. Start the timer.
• Remove the strips after 45 – 60 minutes and dab on tissue.
• Weigh each strip and measure each potato strip, recording the final
mass and length.
• Observe each strip by feeling it, noting whether it is turgid or flaccid.
Record this.
• Perform % difference / change calculations for the mass and
length using the formula:
initial
(final - initial) x 100%
RESULTS ; Record your results in a table
TABLE 1 : CHANGE IN WEIGHT
SOLUTION INITIAL FINAL % CHANGE IN
WEIGHT WEIGHT WEIGHT
A 10g 6g
B 10g 13g

TABLE 2 : CHANGE IN LENGTH

SOLUTION INITIAL FINAL % CHANGE IN

LENGTH LENGTH LENGTH
A 6cm 4.7cm
B 6cm 5.3cm
DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION OF REULTS
Strips in water
Description - Turgid
•Mass - The increase in mass of the potato strip in water is due to the
movement of water molecules into the plant cells via osmosis. Water
molecules in the petri dish are at a higher concentration than water
molecules in the cytoplasm of cells and so move along their
concentration gradient into the cells.
As more water molecules are present in cells - and water has mass -
the final mass of the potato strip will be greater than the first.
•Length - the increase in length is also due to the movement of water
molecules via osmosis. More water molecules occupy more space -
volume - and push against the cell membrane and the proximate
cellulose cell wall. The push of the water molecules result in
expansion in all dimensions, including length. The expansion is
limited - and regulated by the cellulose cell is inelastic. The
push/force acting upon the surface area of the rigid cell produces
turgor pressure (recall pressure is force acting per unit area), and
Strips in Salt Solution
Description - Flaccid
•Mass - the decrease in the mass of the potato strip is due to the
movement of water molecules outside of the plant cells. Water
molecules in the cytoplasm are at a higher concentration than in the
salt solution in the petri dish and so move along their concentration
gradient out of the cells. Water molecules have mass and so the
decreased number of water molecules results in decreased mass.
•Length - the decrease in the number of water molecules results in
loss of volume. The turgor pressure exerted by the water molecules
against the cell membrane and consequently the cellulose cell wall is
less. The cell may even shrink if the turgor pressure diminishes
further.
Strips in Air
Description - Slightly flaccid. This strip as the control and theoretically does not
change in texture. However in reality it loses water by evaporation via the cut
surfaces and becomes dehydrated. By the end of the experiment the strip in air
is slightly flaccid, but certainly not as much as the strip in salt solution.
• Mass - mass changes are minimal as minimal water was lost.
• Length - Length changes were minimal as minimal water was lost.
 Experiments on osmosis-Osmosis and turgor
OSMOSIS ACTIVITY IN THE BOOK ON PAGE 55 AND 56

• Take a 20 cm length of dialysis tubing which

has been soaked
• in water.
• Tie a knot tightly at one end.
• Place 3cm3 of a strong sugar solution in the
tubing using a plastic syringe and then knot the
open end.
• The partly-filled tube should be quite floppy.
• Place the tubing in a test-tube of water for 30–45
minutes.
• After this time, remove the dialysis tubing from the
water and note any changes in how it looks or feels.
Result
The tubing will become firm, distended by the
solution inside.
Interpretation
The dialysis tubing is partially permeable and the
solution
inside has fewer free water molecules than
outside. Water has, therefore, diffused in and
increased the volume and the pressureof the
solution inside.
 Experiments on osmosis- Plasmolysis
OSMOSIS ACTIVITY IN THE BOOK ON PAGE 56 AND 57
WATCH AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeSQtrvpaY

Apparatus
• Tweezers
• 2 microscope slides
• Cover slips
• An onion
• Light microscope
• Sucrose solution
• Distilled water
• 2 pipettes
• Petri dishes
 Method / Procedure

• Using the tweezers peel off a single layer of red cells from the onion
flesh
( only a small piece is required).
• Place the strip in a petri dish containing distilled water for 15 mins.
• Repeat the first two steps this time dipping the onion epidermis piece in
sucrose solution for 20 mins.
• After 20 mins, with the help of tweezers take one piece from each petri
dish and spread it on two different labelled slides.
• On each slides add one drops of iodine solution over the specimen
using a pipette.
• Cover each specimen with the cover slip.
• Place the slides under microscopes and observe.
 Observation

• After a period of 20 minutes, we can notice that cells placed in

distilled water seem to be turgid and the cells placed in the sucrose
solution seem to be shrunk with the loss of water and it exhibits the
process of plasmolysis.

More the concentration of sugar

solution more is the contraction
and shrinkage of cell contents.
Observation

RED ONION
WHITE ONION