Based off the results from this lab the student was able to determine whether the model cell and cell environment each represent a hypertonic, hypotonic or isotonic solution. The first solution cell and environment the student had, was water and sodium chloride. In this instance water was the model cell (what was in the dialysis tubing) and Sodium chloride was the surround environment (plastic cup). The initial weight of the model cell was 13.2g, but after sitting in the sodium chloride solution over night the cell lost water and only weighted 11.6g. Since the solution of the model cell- in this case water- left the cell and entered the surrounding Sodium Chloride it meant the cell had a hypertonic reaction. Having a hypertonic …show more content…
The hypotonic reaction can also be observed by the percent change, which in this case was .43. The number being positive expresses that water went into the cell form the outside environment. The student’s original hypothesis for this solution set was for the net diffusion to be out of the cell, which turned out to be wrong in the end. The next solution set that the student had was sodium chloride as the model cell and glucose as the surround environment. The initial weight of the model cell was 14g but after sitting in the glucose environment over night the cell then only weighted 10.4g. Since the solution lost weight it means that it had a hypertonic reaction or lost water to the surrounding environment. The hypertonic reaction for this cell can also be observed by the percent change which was -.26%, meaning that it lost water to the surround environment. The student’s original hypothesis for this solution set was for the net diffusion to flow out side of the cell, which is what actually ended up happening. The fourth solution set the student had was glucose for the model cell and water for the surrounding environment. The initial weight of the model cell was 13.1g, but after sitting in the water solution all night the cell then only