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Biology Coursework
Aim
The aim of the experiment is to determine what effect different concentrations of alcohol have on a typical plasma membrane.
Hypothesis
An increase in alcohol concentration will break down the plasma membrane much quicker which will cause the contents within the cell membrane to leak out.
Introduction & Background knowledge
The plasma membrane of a cell is approximately 7nm thick. The fluid mosaic model, below, proposed by Singer and Nicolson in 1972, suggests that the membrane has a fluid structure with a mosaic of different proteins of different sizes that are able to move around and fuse with one another.
As you can see from above, the membrane mainly consists of lipids and proteins.
The main function of the plasma membrane is to act as a barrier and control movement of substances passing in and out of the cell. ...
The lipid bi-layer within the plasma membrane consists of phospholipids, which have hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. ...
The three types of lipids found in a membrane are phospholipids, glycolipids and cholesterol. ... Cholesterol also stops ions, polar molecules and water from leaking through the membrane. ...
Plant cells also have a cell wall which surrounds the plasma membrane. ...
In my investigation, I have decided to use the beetroot plant to represent my plasma membrane. ... However, if the membrane is altered, more subtle leakage of betacyanin is induced.
Approximate Word count = 1125
Approximate Pages = 4.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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