Teacher Answer Key

Thistle Tube and Osmosis Demo

Adapted from (www.fhs.d211.org/departments/.../Thistle%20Tube%20and%20Osmosis.do...)

Semipermeable membrane

The tube inside of the beaker is called a thistle tube. This thistle tube has a semipermeable membrane attached to an
opening that has been inverted into the water in the beaker. The semipermeable membrane allows water to pass
through it, but not sucrose. Inside of the thistle tube is a solution that is 35% sucrose, 65% water, with a little bit of red
dye added to help distinguish between the water in the beaker and in the tube. The water in the beaker is pure, 100%
distilled water.

1. Draw a picture of what you predict will happen over time and explain your reasoning.

Water level in beaker will decrease and level of solution in thistle tube will increase.

2. Will the changes you expect continue indefinitely? Why or why not?

No. The system will reach equilibrium. Pressure will build up as the solution level in the thistle tube
increases far above the level of the water in the beaker. Eventually the thermodynamic push to dilute the
more concentrated solution will be opposed by this pressure buildup and water will permeate the membrane
in both directions at equal rates.

3. Is the pressure the same or different on each side of the membrane?

Different. It is higher inside the thistle tube since the total weight on that surface is both the weight of the
atmosphere + the weight of the liquid, while outside it is just the weight of the atmosphere.

4. Imagine a different scenario where 1.0 M NaCl solution is added to the thistle tube in one setup and 1.0 M sucrose in
another. How would you expect the results of the experiments to differ? Assume that the membrane is still
only permeable to water and not to the solute.

Since NaCl dissociates, two particles of solute are created for every one NaCl unit that dissolves.
Consequently, the concentration of dissolved particles is twice as large and therefore there will be an even
greater tendency for water to cross the membrane to dilute the solution. The solution height will be higher
and the osmotic pressure greater. (Roughly twice, although not quite due to ion pairing).

5. How could you reverse the observed process and return the system to its initial state?

Apply a pressure that exceeds the osmotic pressure to force the water back through the membrane, i.e. do
work on the system to reverse the process in the non-spontaneous direction.
 Reverse Osmosis of Seawater

According to http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/chemical/seawater.html, sea water typically has a NaCl

concentration of 35 parts per thousand (by mass). In other words, there are 35 g of NaCl solute for every 1000 grams of
seawater solution. In order to calculate the osmotic pressure, we need to convert this concentration into molarity.

1. What additional information is needed to do this conversion?

The density of seawater so that grams can be converted to L.

2. Assuming the density of seawater is is 1.027 g/cm3, calculate its molar concentration.

1000 g seawater x 1 cm3/1.027 g = 973.7 cm3 or 0.974 L seawater

35 g NaCl x 1 mol NaCl/58.44 g = 0.60 mol NaCl

0.60 mol NaCl/ 0.974 L seawater solution = 0.62 M

3. What is the osmotic pressure of seawater? Recall that NaCl dissociates into two ions for every mol of solute
dissolved. Thus, the molarity of particles in solution is roughly double the NaCl molarity.

= MRT

= 0.62 mol/L x 0.08206 Latm/molK x 298 K = 15 atm

4. Observing the reverse osmosis demo, what gas laws are in operation?

Boyles, i.e. Increased external pressure on pump, decreases volume of gas in pump
Avogadros, i.e. Increased moles of gas increases pressure inside cylinder

5. Describe the energy conversions occurring in this demo.

Potential energy of carbohydrates/proteins/lipids in allowing body to store glycogen, conversion of

glycogen to other molecules to fuel muscle contractions and kinetic energy of pump compression,
increased potential energy inside of cylinder due to increased pressure, kinetic energy of water
molecules flowing through membrane.

6. What could happen if the apparatus has a weak point in its structure?
 Explosion! Large pressure differential is not a stable situation. Pressures tend to equalize.

7. What are some ways we could quantify how well this reverse osmosis process has worked?

Test conductivity before and after

Evaporate water from effluent to determine salinity of emerging solution vs. original
salinity
Add silver nitrate, precipitate AgCl, filter, dry and weigh, use stoichiometry to calculate
original NaCl present and therefore salinity.
Evaluate rate of flow or volume of effluent vs. time.

8. If you were an engineer, how would you improve the experimental design and efficiency of this process?

More membrane surface area so that greater volumes of water can be produced in a given
time frame.
Design new membranes that allow greater water permeation while still rejecting sodium
chloride.
Better energy source solar?