Question

Osmosis is due to solutes that form bonds with water. These solutes are osmotically active. Glucose, sodium ions, potassium ions and chloride ions are all osmotically active and solutions of them are often used in osmosis experiments. Cells contain many different osmotically active solutes.

The osmolarity of a solution is the total concentration of osmotically active solutes. The units for measuring it are osmoles or milliosmoles (mOsm). The normal osmolarity of human tissue is about 300 mOsm.
An isotonic solution has the same osmolarity as a tissue. A hypertonic solution has a higher osmolarity and a hypotonic solution has a lower osmolarity. If samples of a tissue are bathed in hypertonic and hypotonic solutions, and measurements are taken to find out whether water enters or leaves the tissue, it is possible to deduce what concentration of solution would be isotonic and therefore find out the osmolarity of the tissue.
Materials:
Potato
Cork borer
Test tubes
Sucrose
Graduated cylinder
Foil/plastic wrap balance

Answer 1

Based on the provided text, it appears that the materials mentioned are relevant for conducting an experiment related to osmosis and determining the osmolarity of a tissue sample. The experiment involves using hypertonic and hypotonic solutions and measuring the movement of water into or out of the tissue.

The materials needed for the experiment are:

1. Potato: This is likely used as a source of tissue for the experiment. Potato tissue is commonly used in osmosis experiments due to its cellular structure.

2. Cork borer: A cork borer is a cylindrical tool used to obtain uniform tissue samples from the potato. It helps create consistent samples for the experiment.

3. Test tubes: Test tubes are used as containers for the solutions and tissue samples during the experiment. They allow for easy observation and measurement of the osmotic process.

4. Sucrose: Sucrose is a type of sugar that can be dissolved in water to create solutions with different concentrations. It is one of the solutes commonly used in osmosis experiments.

5. Graduated cylinder: A graduated cylinder is used to measure and dispense precise volumes of liquids, such as water and sucrose solutions.

6. Foil/plastic wrap: Foil or plastic wrap may be used to cover the test tubes and prevent evaporation or contamination during the experiment.

7. Balance: A balance is used to measure the mass of the tissue samples and maintain consistency in the experiment.

These materials are likely used in combination with specific procedures to investigate the movement of water and determine the osmolarity of the tissue sample.