Question

Question 9 (i)
Carry out the following osmosis experiment:
Take four peeled potato halves and scoop each one out to make potato cups. One of these potato cups should be made from a boiled potato. Put each potato cup in a trough containing water. Now,
(a) Keep cup A empty
(b) Put one teaspoon of sugar in cup B
(c) Put one teaspoon of salt in cup C
(d) Put one teaspoon of sugar in the boiled potato cup D.
Keep these for two hours. Then observe the four potato cups and answer the following:

(i) Explain why water gathers in the hollowed portion of B and C.

Answer 1

Reason for same level of water in cup A:

1. There is no solution/solute inside cup A.
2. So, there will be absence of osmotic pressure in this case.
3. Hence, the water does not move from outside to inside of the cup.

Reason for increased water level in cup B:

1. Osmosis is the reason for increase of water level in cup B.
2. Osmosis is the movement of the solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane from the region of low solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration.
3. Here the cells of potato acts as the semi-permeable membrane through which water enters the potato cup.
4. The medium inside the potato cup has a higher concentration of sugar (solute) as compared to outside the potato cups.
5. Hence, the water moves towards the internal part of the potato cup which is the movement of solvent from a region of low solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration.

Reason for increased water level in cup C:

1. Osmosis is the reason for increase of water level in cup B.
2. Osmosis is the movement of the solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane from the region of low solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration.
3. Here the cells of potato acts as the semi-permeable membrane through which water enters the potato cup.
4. The medium inside the potato cup has a higher concentration of salt (solute) as compared to outside the potato cups.
5. Hence, the water moves towards the internal part of the potato cup which is the movement of solvent from a region of low solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration.

Reason for same level of water in cup D:

1. Cup D is made up of boiled potato.
2. The cells of the boiled potato are dead including their cell membranes.
3. Therefore, there is no membrane across which the osmosis can take place.
4. Hence, there is no change in the level of water inside cup D.

Final Answer: Hence, water gathers in the hollowed portions of the potato cup B and C due to the occurrence of osmosis.