Potato cell tonicity procedure
1. Collect 4 core samples of a single potato
2. Gently “dry” the potato cores and mass them making certain that each potato
core is nearly the same mass
3. Label 4 petri dishes 0M sucrose solution; .2M sucrose solution; .4M sucrose
solution; and .6M sucrose solution
4. Place a potato cores into each labeled petri dish, cover the petri dish with its
top
5. Upon return to laboratory, remove potato core from each petri dish, gently pat
dry, and remass
6. Calculate the change in mass of potato cell
7. Graph the data
8. Identify the Molarity of sucrose solution that is isotonic with the potato core –
where the data line crosses 0 change in mass = the molarity of sucrose solution
that is isotonic with the potato cell
9. Identify which of the sucrose solutions are hypertonic, hypotonic to the potato
cell
10.Write up a lab essay
1. What does the change in mass of the potato core indicate about
the tonicity of the environment of the potato core? Support your
answer with data
2. Explain the process that caused the change in mass of the potato
core. Identify the general and specific name of this process
3. Which molarity of sucrose was hypotonic to the potato? Support
with data
4. Which molarity of sucrose was hypertonic to the potato? Support
with data
5. Analyze your graph to determine the isotonic molarity of the
potato. Explain why you have arrived at this conclusion.
11. include a discussion of why the disease diabetes is related to the principle
mechanism of this laboratory experiment. Make sure that you use
parenthetical citations and provide a bibliography for your source – NOT
WIKIPEDIA
Identify the Independent variable:
(what were we experimenting with to determine whether the potato
was in a hypotonic, isotonic, or hypertonic solution)
Identify the dependent variable:
(what were you measuring at the close of the experiment)
GRAPH: create a graph of your data(include the average) from the class
data label and title the graph correctly(title = y axis label “dependent
on” x axis label)
State a hypothesis to the question “What is the isotonic concentration
of Sucrose to a potato cell”
Analysis questions:
6. What does the change in mass of the potato core indicate about
the tonicity of the environment of the potato core? Support your
answer with data
7. Explain the process that caused the change in mass of the potato
core. Identify the general and specific name of this process
8. Which molarity of sucrose was hypotonic to the potato? Support
with data
9. Which molarity of sucrose was hypertonic to the potato? Support
with data
10.
Analyze your graph to determine the isotonic molarity of the
potato. Explain why you have arrived at this conclusion.
12.