In experiment C4.6.2.1, an osmosis apparatus is used to demonstrate the principle of osmosis. Osmosis is a fundamental process in the regulation of water and cell volume.
The apparatus consists of a glass bell jar whose lower opening is covered with a membrane. A capillary tube can be fitted tightly into the upper opening using a GL screw connection. The bell jar is filled with a sucrose solution and then placed in a beaker of water. Water moves through the membrane by osmosis into the more concentrated solution, causing the liquid level in the capillary tube to rise.
The higher the concentration of the sucrose solution, the greater the inflow of water. The inflow stops when the hydrostatic pressure of the water column in the capillary tube balances the osmotic pressure.
