Subject: AAAH! I'M STUCK!!!

From: [email-masked] (SValji)
Date: 6 Oct 1996 13:27:26 -0400

Please Help.

I am currently conducting reseach into the osmotic potential of onions and
recently discovered that the O.P. becomes less negative as the bulbs age.
Why?

Many Thanks,

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From: [email-masked] (Beverly Erlebacher)
Date: Tue, 8 Oct 1996 17:29:48 GMT

>recently discovered that the O.P. becomes less negative as the bulbs age.

Think about osmotic pressure for a moment.  It is related to the number
of molecules per unit volume on either side of a semi-permeable membrane.
One way that the number of molecules changes in a biological system is by
the polymerization of small molecules into large ones and the reverse.

Now think:  what large polymeric molecule is found in quantity in a
storage organ like a bulb?  what small molecule is it made up of?

Or you could read your textbook.

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada