How do you engage pupils in a discussion about osmosis without leaving them overwhelmed? By providing them with the tools to perform an exciting experiment, and they will see osmosis in action! Young chemists and biologists use a potato and common reagents to demonstrate osmosis, while relating this action to kidney dialysis and problems that can occur when the body does not adequately remove wastes.

Concepts

osmosis, hypertonic solutions, hypotonic solutions, solutes, isotonic solutions, permeability

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Be sure to post safety rules at each lab station

Classroom Considerations

• Certain reagents are toxic if ingested, so use care while performing lab
• Iodine will stain hands; consider providing gloves  

Pros

• Simple experiment, yet applicable and engaging due to the integration of the dialysis piece
• The nine-page packet comes with procedures, lab safety rules, student worksheets, and lab sheets for both the osmosis and dialysis portions of the resource

Cons

• Assessment contains numerous open-ended questions and could be challenging for ESL learners

Common Core

WHST.9-10.2.a WHST.11-12.2.a