Describe5 marksStandard
A student investigated the water potential of potato tissue by cutting cylinders of potato, measuring their initial mass, then immersing them in sucrose solutions of different concentrations for 30 minutes. After blotting dry, the final mass was recorded. The percentage change in mass was calculated. The results are shown in the table below.
| Sucrose concentration / mol dm⁻³ | Percentage change in mass / % |
|---|---|
| 0.0 | +18.2 |
| 0.2 | +8.5 |
| 0.4 | -1.3 |
| 0.6 | -12.0 |
| 0.8 | -22.8 |
Describe how the mass changes can be explained in terms of water potential and use the results to estimate the water potential of the potato tissue.