Lab Report Example

Introduction: Diffusion is the net movement of small or uncharged molecules or substances from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. There is simple diffusion, as explained, and facilitated diffusion. Facilitated diffusion, on the other hand, involves larger or charged molecules or substances that need a protein tunnel through the membrane to help the substance enter and leave the cell. Since the substance will move in its direction, diffusion does not require energy. Diffusion helps rid of waste because the waste moves out as well during the process. Once diffusion occurs and the substance is dispersed completely, there is equilibrium.

Osmosis is the diffusion of water from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. The more dissolved substances a solution has, the lower its concentration will be. Therefore, osmosis is performed to equalize the concentration on either sides of the cell membrane. Without osmosis, water wouldn’t be able to go into a cell, which is of course one of our keys to life. Osmosis and diffusion will be performed in this experiment with the gummy bears and solutions as an example as they change over the course of a 24 hour period. Hypothesis:

My hypothesis for this lab on diffusion and osmosis is that if the water passes through the gummy bear, then it will become very jelly-like and almost mix in with the water. If the salt water passes through the gummy bear, then the gummy bear will entirely dissolve. If the gummy bear is placed in the sugar water, then it will become a little mushy from the water but will not dissolve because the sugar will not be able to pass through the cell membrane since the molecules are too large. Materials:

-3 Gummy Bears (must be different colors)
-3 Plastic Cups
-Stirrer
-Tape
-Pen
-Water (H20)
-Salt to make Salt water (H20 + C6H1206)
Procedure:
First, label 3plastic cups using tape, and a pen. Cup #1 should be labeled water, Cup #2 should be labeled salt water, and Cup #3 should be labeled sugar water. Next, select 3 differently colored gummy bears. After you select the color gummy bears that you want, label each cup to indicate which color will go in each cup. Fill each cup half way with water. Then add about 1tsp. of salt to cup #2 and stir. Then add about 1tsp. of sugar to cup #3 and stir. Lastly, place the gummy bears in solution and be sure to match the color that is labeled on the tape. You must wait 24 hours to observe results. Results:

The original gummy bear weighed 0.08 ounces. After the green gummy bear remained in the water, it dissolved entirely. The red gummy bear that was placed in salt water was no longer transparent and shrunk slightly in size, weighing 0.045 ounces as a result. The yellow gummy bear grew larger and became lighter in color, weighing 0.23 ounces. Each of these gummy bears came out with a jelly-like texture. Conclusion:

For this lab, I was experimenting the effects of diffusion and osmosis to see how these processes work. The gummy bears in the different solutions definitely portrayed diffusion and osmosis better than I had expected. Being that I was unaware of the results before the experiment, I was surprised at the outcome. The hypothesis I had made was partially accurate but had flaws according to my results. The data I had recorded have matched up with my reasons on why the gummy bears have reacted the way they did.

The sugar water seemed to expand the gummy bear. This is because the water could’ve went inside the gummy bear, expanding it but the cell membrane worked to keep the sugars out, keeping the cell from bursting. On the other hand, the gummy bear in the water had exploded in effort of maintaining equilibrium since the water had entered the cell membrane through osmosis and was on the outside of the cell membrane as well. Lastly, the gummy bear that was placed in the salt water appeared to have shrunk and became non-transparent.

This may have happened since the water had passed through, probably in attempt to expand it but the salt had absorbed some of this water, also changing the appearance of the gummy bear into a solid looking substance although jelly-like by touch. Diffusion and osmosis played a part in this experiment by allowing the substances to either pass through or not pass through the gummy bears, changing them especially in texture since they all became mushy from the water.