Study of the enviroment on the cell membrane

Study Of The Enviroment On The Cell Membrane Dave Lima SBI OA1 Mr. Swanson 10/4/99 Purpose: To study the effect of environmental changes in the permeability of living beet root cells. Procedure A: The effect of pH on the cell membrane Materials & Method 1. Cut a beet root into slices approximately 2mm thick. Use a cork bore to cut out thirty-five (35) slices. 2. Place the discs in a 250 mL beaker and rinse thoroughly in cool running tap water. …

…pH level will do very minimum damage to the cell. When damage is done to the cell, osmosis and diffusion become easier for outside solutions. When a cell reaches equilibrium (with water) it creates osmosis pressure. Osmosis pressure is when the hydrostatic pressure from inside the cell is greater then the pressure from outside the cell. Organic solvents also affect the permeability of the cell. Ethanol is miscible with water and both posses hydrogen bonds.