Question
Students set up an experiment using dialysis tubing to resemble a cell membrane. Their setup is shown in the diagram below.The original mass of the bag was 20g.
Which of the following best describes what would happen to the mass of the bag after 30 minutes?
Question 8 options:
The bag's mass would remain the same.
The bag's mass would increase.
The bag is not permeable to water so the mass would not change.
The bag's mass would decrease.
Which of the following best describes what would happen to the mass of the bag after 30 minutes?
Question 8 options:
The bag's mass would remain the same.
The bag's mass would increase.
The bag is not permeable to water so the mass would not change.
The bag's mass would decrease.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
To determine what happens to the mass of the bag after 30 minutes in a dialysis tubing experiment, we need to consider what the dialysis tubing represents and the principles of osmosis.
1. **Osmosis is a key process**: If one side of the dialysis tubing has a higher solute concentration compared to the solution outside the tubing, water will move across the membrane (the dialysis tubing) to balance the concentration gradient.
2. **Cell membrane properties**: Typically, dialysis tubing allows water molecules to pass through but is not permeable to larger solute molecules. This means that if the interior of the bag (which simulates the internal environment of the cell) contains a higher concentration of solutes than the surrounding solution, water will flow into the bag, increasing its mass.
3. **Mass changes**: If the surrounding solution is hypotonic relative to the solution inside the bag (meaning the inside of the bag has a higher solute concentration), water will enter the bag, causing the mass of the bag to increase. Conversely, if the inside of the bag has a lower solute concentration than the outside, water will leave the bag, resulting in a decrease in mass.
Given these principles and assuming the bag's original mass was 20g, here are the options:
- **The bag's mass would remain the same**: This would only be true if the concentrations of solutes were equal both inside and outside the bag.
- **The bag's mass would increase**: This is likely if the solution outside the bag is hypotonic, causing water to flow into the bag.
- **The bag is not permeable to water so the mass would not change**: This statement is incorrect, as dialysis tubing is permeable to water.
- **The bag's mass would decrease**: This would happen if the solution outside the bag is hypertonic, leading to water leaving the bag.
Without specific information about the concentrations on either side of the bag, the most consistent answer, assuming a typical scenario where the outer solution is hypotonic, is:
**The bag's mass would increase.**
1. **Osmosis is a key process**: If one side of the dialysis tubing has a higher solute concentration compared to the solution outside the tubing, water will move across the membrane (the dialysis tubing) to balance the concentration gradient.
2. **Cell membrane properties**: Typically, dialysis tubing allows water molecules to pass through but is not permeable to larger solute molecules. This means that if the interior of the bag (which simulates the internal environment of the cell) contains a higher concentration of solutes than the surrounding solution, water will flow into the bag, increasing its mass.
3. **Mass changes**: If the surrounding solution is hypotonic relative to the solution inside the bag (meaning the inside of the bag has a higher solute concentration), water will enter the bag, causing the mass of the bag to increase. Conversely, if the inside of the bag has a lower solute concentration than the outside, water will leave the bag, resulting in a decrease in mass.
Given these principles and assuming the bag's original mass was 20g, here are the options:
- **The bag's mass would remain the same**: This would only be true if the concentrations of solutes were equal both inside and outside the bag.
- **The bag's mass would increase**: This is likely if the solution outside the bag is hypotonic, causing water to flow into the bag.
- **The bag is not permeable to water so the mass would not change**: This statement is incorrect, as dialysis tubing is permeable to water.
- **The bag's mass would decrease**: This would happen if the solution outside the bag is hypertonic, leading to water leaving the bag.
Without specific information about the concentrations on either side of the bag, the most consistent answer, assuming a typical scenario where the outer solution is hypotonic, is:
**The bag's mass would increase.**