Cells and Osmosis Lab

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to cells and osmosis as discussed in Lab 3.

Osmosis

The movement of solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration.

Solute

Any dissolved substance in a solution, such as sugars and salts.

Tonicity

The concentration of solute in a solution compared to another solution.

Hypertonic solution

A solution that has more solute (and therefore less water) compared to another solution.

Hypotonic solution

A solution that has less solute (and therefore more water) compared to another solution.

Isotonic solution

A solution that has the same amount of solute (and therefore the same amount of water) compared to another solution.

Cytolysis

The process by which a cell bursts due to excessive water intake in a hypotonic environment.

Osmoregulation

The process used by organisms to maintain water balance in hypertonic environments, typically through active regulation of solute concentrations.

Semipermeable membrane

A barrier that allows certain substances to pass through while blocking others.

Dialysis tubing

A type of semipermeable tubing used to simulate the properties of cell membranes in experiments.

Kinetic energy

The energy of motion, utilized by osmosis to move solvent molecules.

Aquatic organisms

Living organisms that primarily inhabit water, such as marine and freshwater species.

Percent change in weight

A calculation used to determine the relative change in weight of model cells after immersion in solutions.

Weight change

The net difference in weight of a model cell before and after exposure to a solution, indicative of osmotic activity.