Question

Create a hypothesis using the following info:

You have had some practice using the compound light microscope to view a variety of objects. Now you are ready to prepare your own slide of the plant cell under isotonic and hypotonic solution, and view it using the compound light microscope. From learning about diffusion and osmosis, you know that plant and animal cells are filled with cytoplasm, which is a jelly-like fluid that consists of water and solutes (salts, sugars, carbon dioxide, fat droplets, etc). Cells are surrounded by extracellular fluid, which also consists of water and solutes. The balance between the water and solutes in the cytoplasm and extracellular fluid is achieved through the process of diffusion and osmosis. In this lab, you will find out what happens to onion cells when they are placed in a hypotonic or hypertonic solution.

Answer 1

Hypothesis: When onion cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, they will absorb more water due to osmosis, causing the cells to swell and increase in size. Conversely, when onion cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, they will lose water through osmosis, causing the cells to shrink and decrease in size. This will be observed through the use of the compound light microscope.