Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education Vol. 32, 135-150, 2011 Osmolarity and Tonicity: An Inquiry Laboratory Using Plant Material Dee U. Silverthorn Integrative Biology, One University Station C0930, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (
[email protected]) The difference between osmolarity and tonicity is a difficult concept for students to understand and often for fac- ulty to teach. We adapted techniques from the traditional potato-plug laboratory to create an inquiry laboratory that demonstrates the principles of osmolarity and tonicity. Students design two experiments: first, they must try to determine the internal osmolarity of their plant material, and second, they test whether a particular solute is a penetrating solute for plant cells. The inquiry level can be adjusted by the instructor. Keywords: osmolarity, osmosis, tonicity, solutions, plant cells, sugar transport, urea Introduction The difference between osmolarity and tonicity is a dif- This laboratory exercise teaches students how penetrating ficult concept for students to grasp. The coverage of tonicity solutes affect tonicity and challenges their understanding by in most introductory biology textbooks is perfunctory at best asking them to design an experiment to determine whether and sometimes inaccurate or misleading. Yet a clear under- a solute (sucrose, glucose, or urea) is penetrating for plant standing of the difference between the osmolarity of a so- cells. This information is not something they can easily look lution and its tonicity is essential for pre-health-professions up on the web, so they must make predictions based on their students because tonicity is the basis for the appropriate understanding of tonicity.