Name:________________________ Date:_____________ Period:____

Egg Osmosis Lab

Background

Whenever two different solutions are separated by a selectively permeable membrane, an osmotic

system is established. Each cell, therefore, represents an osmotic unit.

Osmosis may be defined as diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane.

Purpose: To observe the effects of osmosis on an animal membrane.

Problem: How do various liquids affect the concentration of water inside and outside of an egg?

Materials:

1 egg 200 mL vinegar

200 mL Karo syrup 200 mL water

1 beaker (400 mL) 1 plastic cup (capable of holding 200 mL)

Hypothesis:
Write in an if, then sentence.
If an egg is placed in hypotonic water, it will grow and take in the liquid. If placed in hypertonic syrup, the egg will
shrink and water will pass through the semi-permeable membrane.

Procedure;

Day 1

1. Label the side of your cup with the initials of everyone in your group and the number of your

class period with small letters.

2. Carefully mass your egg. Record the results in the data table.

3. Measure 200 mL of vinegar and pour into your cup. Record this amount under Volume
added in the data table. Nothing is recorded in the Volume remaining column for the first

day.

4. Place your egg into the cup. Record observations in the data table.

Day 4

5. Observe your egg and record in data table.

6. Carefully remove your egg from the vinegar, rinse gently with water then mass it. Record

mass.

7. Observe your egg and record in data table

8. Measure the amount of vinegar remaining in your cup. Record in the data table under

Volume remaining.
9. Measure 200 mL of syrup and place into your cup. Record volume added. Carefully place

your egg into the syrup.

Day 5

10. Observe your egg. Record observations. Carefully remove your egg from the syrup, rinse with

water and mass. Record.

11. Measure the amount of syrup remaining in your cup use your fingers to wipe the syrup out

the cup into the beaker. Record. Pour the syrup down the large sink in the back. Run warm

water while pouring to ensure the sink doesnt stop up. Clean your table with warm soap and

water. Use warm soap and water to clean the beaker you used to measure the syrup.

12. Measure 200 mL of water and place into your cup.

Day 6

13. Observe your egg. Record observations. Carefully remove your egg and mass. Record.

14. Measure the amount of water remaining in your cup. Record.

Day Date Mass Volume Volume Observations

(g) added remaining

(mL) (mL)
1 ------------------ A plain white egg with a dissolving shell

64.1 g 200 ml vinegar

200 ml
4 96.4 g 122
Egg was larger and more fragile. There

syrup was less vinegar.

5 Lots of bubbles on egg surface. The egg

61.4 200 ml water 210

has shrunk.

6 0 ml The egg has once again swollen. It has

93.7 150

drained 60 ml of water.

Answer the following on a separate sheet of paper.

Conclusions:

1. Vinegar is made of acetic acid and water. When the egg was placed in vinegar, which way did

the water molecules move? How do you know this?

Osmosis diused the water molecules through the semi-permeable membrane

inward. As soon as the egg shell dissolved, the membrane was left bare and

easy to infiltrate. The water from the hypotonic water moved inwards.

2. After the egg was placed in syrup, which way did the water molecules move in or out of the

egg? Using the correct terminology, describe what condition exists for the egg.

To reach dynamic equilibrium, water diused outwards until both solutions had as much water.

When the hypertonic syrup was introduced, water moved out of the cell. Syrup is hypertonic since

mass dropped and remaining liquid increased by 58 percent.

3. How can you explain the amount of liquid remaining when the egg was removed from the

syrup? The volume of liquid remaining had to increase since egg

mass decreased. The hypotonic solution inside the egg

diused into the surrounding space.

4. When the egg was placed in the water after being removed from the syrup, which way did the

water move?

The hypotonic water moved through the cell membrane so the egg could reach equilibrium.

Was your hypothesis validated? Explain why or why not.

Graph your data. Remember to label and scale correctly.

My hypothesis was validated. I said that if placed in water the egg would grow, and if placed in syrup it would shrink.
When placed in water osmosis caused the hypotonic solution to move in to where there was less water. When placed
in
syrup, water moved again to where there was less water. The egg grew 34 percent and shrunk 36 percent.