How Osmosis Affects Chips at Different Concentrations Context: Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a region of high concentration of water at a low concentration of water. A partially permeable membrane is a membrane with tiny holes so small that only water molecules can pass through. When you put a chip in a salt or sugar solution, if the potato has a higher water potential, some of the water will diffuse into the salt solution which will cause the chip to lose weight. However, the amount of water contained in the salt solution is more than the water will be diffused into the chips, thus causing the chips to gain weight. If the amount of water is the same, the weight of the chip will not change. In a high concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sugar) is low. This might be called a weak or dilute solution. In a low concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sucrose) is high. This could be called a strong or concentrated solution. When two such solutions are divided by a semipermeable membrane, water will move from the area of ​​high concentration to the area of ​​low concentration, until both sides have reached equilibrium. Plant cells are always surrounded by a strong cell wall. When they absorb water through osmosis they begin to swell, but the cell wall prevents them from bursting. Plant cells become "turgid" when placed in dilute solutions. Turgid means swollen and hard. The pressure inside the cell increases and eventually the internal pressure of the cell becomes so high that no more water can enter the cell. This liquid or hydrostatic pressure acts against osmosis. Turgor is very important for plants because it is what makes the green parts of the plant "stand up" in the sunlight. When plant cells are placed in concentrated sugar solutions, they lose water through osmosis and become "flabby." This is the exact opposite of "turgid". The contents of the potato cells shrink and detach from the cell wall.