Ella Ratliff MODELING OSMOSIS (LAB) PROBLEM: Which way will water flow when a raw egg is placed

in 250ml of vinegar? HYPOTHESIS: If a raw egg is placed in vinegar and left for three days, then the water will flow into the egg from an area of high water concentration, the vinegar, through the membrane into an area of lower water concentration, the egg, causing the egg to expand. THEORY: Osmosis is the diffusion of water from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration across a selectively permeable membrane. When the vinegar touches the calcium carbonate shell, a chemical reaction will occur, dissolving the eggshell, and creating carbon dioxide. Once the shell has dissolved, the water molecules will flow from the vinegar across the selectively permeable membrane into the egg because vinegar is 95% water and the egg is only 74% water, so there is a higher concentration of water in the vinegar than inside the egg. PROCEDURE: 1. Measure circumference of a raw egg using string and a ruler in cm. 2. Place egg in beaker and fill with 250 mL of vinegar. 3. Record observations. 4. Measure circumference for 4 days and record observations. DATA/OBSERVATIONS: DAYS 1 2 CIRCUMFERENCE (cm) 13.4 15.0 LIQUID LEVEL (ml) 320(with egg)/ 250(without egg) 300(with egg)/ 230(without egg) 300(with egg)/ 220(without egg) OBSERVATIONS Bubbles collecting on egg shell, water displaced 70 ml, egg sank to bottom The shell has mostly dissolved leaving the egg naked. If feels squishy and is very delicate. The egg is yellow. The shell has almost completely dissolved. It feels squishy and is very delicate. The egg is yellow.

16.0

TOTAL EXPANSION GROUP # = 2.6 cm AVERAGE EXPANSION CLASS = 2.6 cm AVERAGE EXPANSION (7th GRADE)= 2.7 cm 100% of the eggs (39) tested expanded.

Osmosis: Egg Expansion

16.5 CIRCUMFERENCE IN cm 16 15.5 15 14.5 14 13.5 13 12.5 12 1 2 DAYS MEASURED 3 13.4 Egg Circumference 15 16

EXPANSION COMPARISON
3

AVERAGE EXPANSION cm

2.6

2.6

2.7

2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 GROUP 6 PERIOD 1 7TH GRADE

Egg Expansion

CONCLUSION

In this lab we were investigating which way water will flow when a raw egg is placed in 250ml of vinegar. On the 1st day, I hypothesized that the water would travel from the vinegar across the permeable membrane into the egg. Over the course of 4 days, there was evidence that our egg expanded 2.6 cm and the vinegar level decreased by 10 ml. This shows that water traveled from the vinegar through the permeable membrane into the egg, so my hypothesis was correct. ANALYSIS 1. What caused the eggshell to dissolve? When the eggshell (calcium carbonate) touched the vinegar (weak acid), a chemical reaction occurred, dissolving the eggshell and creating carbon dioxide. Once the eggshell is mostly dissolved, the selectively permeable membrane is revealed, allowing water molecules to enter and leave the egg. 2. Period 7 Group 3s egg expanded by 4.5 cm after 4 days, compared to Group 7, which expanded 1.1 cm. Compare the results of these two groups. What was the difference in expansion? What was the rate (distance/time) of expansion in 4 days? Explain the discrepancy in data. Why did these groups get different results? The difference in expansion was 3.4 cm, group 3s eggs rate was approximately 1.1 cm per day, and group 7s eggs rate was approximately 2.8 cm per day. These two groups got different results because group 7s egg may have started out with a lot of water inside it. Other reasons are maybe the amount of vinegar was different in each beaker, or maybe one beaker was placed in the sun and the other wasnt. GROUP # 3 7 PERIOD 7 TOTAL EXPANSION IN 4 DAYS 4.5 cm 1.1 cm

3. Why do cells need water?

Cells need water because chemical reactions cannot occur without water.