This experiment focused on the principles of osmosis and diffusion. This scientific work has explored the factors that influence the rate of diffusion of materials in solid and liquid media. Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and methylene blue were allowed to diffuse in agar at 4 °C, room temperature, and 37 °C. The experiment showed that, at the same temperature and molecular weight, KMnO4 (159 amu) diffused faster than methylene blue (320 amu). Both of these substances diffused at a faster rate at higher temperatures.
The effect of medium onto which substances diffused was also studied by determining the diffusion rate of KMnO4 in both water and agar media. Potassium permanganate diffused faster in liquid medium than in agar that is 3500 and 133 micrometer per minute respectively. It was proven then, that molecular weight, temperature, and diffusion medium affect diffusion rate. Moreover, the principles of osmosis in both plant and animal cells were taken into account. A sample fruit from supermarket, stripped and soaked into NaCl solutions of different concentrations, became swollen at low solute concentrations.
Elodea plant, on the other hand, swelled in distilled water while the sheep’s red blood cells became cloudy. This cloudiness indicated plasmolysis or bursting of the red blood cells in low solute concentrations or hypotonic solutions. This is a proof that water molecules moved from the region of low solute concentration to the region of high solute concentration. Diffusion, Osmosis, and Cells Introduction Cells are naturally exposed in fluid environment so that materials necessary for its metabolism may easily move in and out of it.
What determines then, whether a substance moves in or out of the cell? Spontaneously, molecules move away from crowded areas and move to where they have more space, that is, from high concentration to low concentration. This passage by means of concentration gradient is called diffusion. For the sustenance of its metabolic functions, cells must be selective in the transport of materials through its membrane. This selective process of materials’ transport is called osmosis. In addition, cellular materials come with different sizes and mass.
Water molecules, for instance, are just small enough for them to pass through the cell’s membrane easily. Other particles, on the other hand, such as ions may utilize energy in passing through the membrane. This experiment dealt on the diffusion and osmosis principles. The diffusion of materials through solid and liquid were given emphasis and applied in the movement of materials through plant and animal cells. As such, the factors that may affect the rate of diffusion were also assessed. Moreover, the significant implications of this endeavor in cells’ physiological aspect were explored.