Final answer:
Glucose can typically diffuse through dialysis tubing due to its small molecular size. No net flow of glucose occurs when concentrations inside and outside the cell are equal, and facilitated diffusion assists osmosis in cells by transporting glucose via carrier proteins.
Step-by-step explanation:
Diffusion of Glucose Across Dialysis Tubing
When reviewing the chemical structure of glucose, we should consider its size and the nature of the dialysis tubing. The dialysis tubing is typically selectively permeable, allowing smaller molecules like water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to pass through, while larger molecules such as certain proteins and polysaccharides are not able to diffuse freely. Glucose is a relatively small molecule that can typically diffuse through dialysis tubing assuming the pores of the tubing are of a suitable size for glucose molecules. Thus, it is reasonable to predict that glucose will diffuse through the tubing.
Osmosis and Glucose
If the concentration of glucose is equal inside and outside of the cell membrane, there would likely be no net flow of glucose due to the concentration gradient being equal on both sides. However, individual molecules of glucose would still move across the membrane randomly, but there would be no change in concentration over time.
Movement of Molecules in Dialysis Experiment
Based on the experiment with lactose and fructose, we can conclude that the molecular size and structure could determine the movement through dialysis tubing. Since fructose was detected outside of the bag but lactose was not, it suggests that the smaller fructose molecules could pass through the pores of the tubing while the larger lactose molecules could not.
Facilitated Diffusion
Facilitated diffusion is a passive transport mechanism where substances like glucose are assisted by carrier proteins or channels in their movement across the cell membrane, without energy expenditure from the cell. Utilizing facilitated diffusion can assist with osmosis, which is the diffusion of water across a semi-permeable membrane, by maintaining correct solute balance within the cell.