The cell membrane is permeable to water and glucose, but
not sucrose. Water is the solvent in the beaker and in the cell. What is going to happen over time if the solution is 20% glucose and 5% sucrose and the cell is 5% glucose and 20% sucrose?
To understand what will happen over time in this scenario, we need to consider the principles of osmosis and the concentration gradients involved.
Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules (in this case, water) across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. The goal is to equalize the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane.
In this scenario, the cell membrane is permeable to water and glucose but not to sucrose. On one side, the beaker solution has a higher concentration of glucose (20%) and a lower concentration of sucrose (5%). On the other side, the cell has a higher concentration of sucrose (20%) and a lower concentration of glucose (5%).
Initially, water molecules from the beaker will move across the cell membrane into the cell via osmosis. This happens because the concentration of solutes inside the cell is higher compared to the beaker solution. As water enters the cell, it will dilute the concentration of sucrose inside the cell.
On the other hand, glucose is permeable to the cell membrane. This means that both glucose in the beaker and glucose in the cell can freely move in and out of the cell. Therefore, the concentration of glucose will eventually reach equilibrium on both sides of the cell membrane.
Since the cell membrane is not permeable to sucrose, the concentration of sucrose will remain unchanged inside the cell. As water enters the cell, it will dilute the concentration of sucrose, reducing the concentration gradient and reducing the net movement of water over time.
Overall, as water moves into the cell through osmosis, the cell will expand. The concentration of glucose will eventually reach equilibrium, while the concentration of sucrose will remain unchanged.