Diffusion and Osmosis Worksheet

1. How are the molecules moving in the examples below? Write OSMOSIS or DIFFUSION.
a. The student sitting next to you just came from gym class and forgot to shower and you can
tell. DIFFUSION
OSMOSIS
b. After sitting in the bathtub for hours, your fingers start to look like prunes.
c. The girl sitting two rows ahead of you put on too much perfume this morning. DIFFUSION
d. One way to get rid of slugs in your garden is to sprinkle salt on them, so they shrivel up.
OSMOSIS
e. Yum! Something smells good. The neighbors are cooking on the grill! DIFFUSION
f. Gargling with salt water when you have a sore throat causes your swollen throat cells to
shrink and feel better. OSMOSIS
g. Oxygen molecules move from the air sacs in the lungs across the cell membranes into the
blood DIFFUSION

2. Use arrows to indicate the direction of diffusion in each case below:

A) B)

3. For each of the situations below use an arrow to indicate the net movement of sugar into or
out of the cell. (Assume that the sugar molecules can pass through the cell membrane in each case.)

1% sugar 3% sugar 1% sugar

5% sugar 1% sugar 1% sugar

4. Diffusion always causes particles to move from a region of HIGH concentration

to a region of Low concentration.

No
5. Does a cell use energy when molecules diffuse in or out of the cell? ____
Why?
No, a cell does not use energy when molecules diffuse in or out of the cell. Diffusion is a
passive process that occurs due to the natural movement of particles from an area of
higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. It does not require any input of
energy from the cell. However, there are other processes such as active transport that
requires the cell to expend energy in order to move molecules against their concentration
gradient.
 Match each term on the left with the best descriptor on the right. Use each only once.
Descriptor
B a) Moves of particles like oxygen
6. Concentration into cells
7. Diffusion A
b) Amount of a substance in a
8. Equal amount of water inside a cell as outside
E
certain place
9. More water outside a cell than inside G
c) Moves water into and out of
10. Osmosis C
cells
11. More solute outside a cell than inside F
d) Allows some substances
12. Selectively permeable membrane D
through

e) f) g)

13. You have just bought a tropical fish for your freshwater (no salt) aquarium. Unfortunately,
you do not realize it is a saltwater fish, which is isotonic to salty water environments. Using your
knowledge of osmosis, explain why this fish will not survive in your aquarium.
The saltwater fish cannot survive in a freshwater aquarium because of osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane, from an area of higher water
concentration to an area of lower water concentration, in an attempt to achieve a balance of solute concentration on both sides of the membrane. Saltwater fish are adapted to live in a highly saline environment,
which means they have evolved to maintain a balance between their internal salt concentration and the surrounding seawater. In a freshwater environment, which has a lower salt concentration compared to the
fish's body fluids, water will move into the fish's body by osmosis in an attempt to balance the salt concentration. This movement of water into the fish's body causes the fish's cells to swell and disrupts the
balance of dissolved minerals and salts within the fish's body. This can lead to a range of problems such as cell damage, impairment of organ function and eventually death. Therefore, it is important to understand
the salinity requirements of the fish you want to keep and ensure that they are maintained in an environment with the appropriate salt concentration to avoid such complications.
14. Complete the table by writing whether solutes and water move INSIDE or OUTSIDE the cell.
• Hints: With diffusion, solutes move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
With Osmosis, wherever more salt is, water follows! Or, water also goes from an area of high amount
of water to an area of low amount of water.

DIFFUSION OSMOSIS IN OUT

Does the SOLUTE Does WATER move intracellular extracellular

move INSIDE or OUTSIDE fluid fluid
INSIDE or OUTSIDE the cell?
(inside the cell) (outside of cell)
the cell?
IN OUT 5% salt 10% salt
10% salt 10% salt
OUT IN 3% glucose 1% glucose
OUT IN 2% protein 1% protein
9% salt 9% salt
Less Salt
N/A (this is Osmosis) IN 13% water 25% water