Qualitative Data:
It was evident that after the potato cylinders were taken out from the sodium chloride solution after an hour, the ones that gained mass had increased in rigidity, becoming more turgid as well as appearing bigger than before. Their color also changed from distinct yellow to a lighter shade of yellow. On the other hand, potato cylinders that were put in a high concentration solution shrunk in size and they became shorter in length since they lost water. They felt softer, more flexible and easier to bend. Hence requiring more caution in drying them with paper towels and measuring the mass.
Conclusion:
In this lab, five potato cylinders were each put into solutions with a different concentration of sodium chloride to observe the effects of the different concentrations
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Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules, from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration through a selectively permeable membrane. This causes a change in mass of the potato cylinders.
When the mass of the potato increases, which is represented by a positive value of change in mass, it signifies that the water from the sodium chloride solution has traveled into the potato. This causes the cell to become turgid, and it is called endosmosis. This means that the water potential inside the potato was less than the concentration of water in the outer sodium chloride solution. Thus, the potato cylinders were placed in a hypotonic solution (Pearson). As the concentration of sodium chloride decreases, the mass of the potato cylinders’ increase, showcasing an inverse relationship.
If the mass of the potato decreases, which is represented by a negative value of change in mass, it signifies that the water from the potato has traveled into the