Lab Results: The Relationship Between Diffusion and Cell Size
The agar/phenolphthalein block before carving… Phenolphthalein is an acid/ base indicator. It turns pink in the presence of a base and is clear and colorless in acidic solutions. NaOH was added to the block in addition to the indicator to help turn the block pink.
The “cells”… The main block was carved into three smaller cubes which represent different sized cells.
Soaking the blocks (“cells”)… The blocks were soaked in a dilute HCl acid solution for about 10 minutes. The images show the results emerging during the soaking time.
The results…. The blocks were removed from the acid solution after 10 minutes, blotted dry, cut open, and the depth of diffusion was measured…