Egg Osmosis Demonstration

Day 1

Pre-Demo Questions
An eggs shell has already been dissolved using everyday house vinegar. It was
placed in a cup with the vinegar for 24 hours. The eggs will be weighed in order to
determine if there was a change.
1. What could the hard outer shell of the egg be compared to in a cell?
The cell wall
2. Where would I find the plasma membrane in our cells/eggs?
The egg membrane
3. Based on what you have learned, what does the cell membrane of
our egg need to be in order to allow water or other substances to pass
through?
Selectively permeable
4. Do you think we need to remove the shell to be able to get water
inside? Why or why not?
Yes because it wouldnt be permeable or able to absorb water

Hypothesis
1. What do you think will happen
It will not have an effect
2. What do you think will happen
water?
It will not have an effect
3. What do you think will happen
It will become sticky or change color a little
4. What do you think will happen

to the egg when placed in tap water?

to the egg when placed in distilled

to the egg when placed in corn syrup?

to the egg when left in vinegar?

The shell will come off and it will be squishy and yellow/orangish. Will pass through
the pores.

Day 1 Measurements
Mass of the
cup
(g)

Mass of the cup

and egg
(g)

Mass of the egg (oz)

(Mass of egg and cup Mass of
cup)

Egg 1 (Tap water)

2.8 oz

Egg 2 (Distilled
water)

2.67 oz

Egg Osmosis Demonstration

Egg 3 (Corn
syrup)

2.74 oz

Egg 4 (Vinegar)

2.78 oz

One egg with its shell dissolved will be placed in tap water, another in distilled
water, a third in corn syrup, and the last will be placed in clean vinegar. These eggs
will be left in their solutions for 24 hours.

Day 2
Background Information
Cells use their plasma membrane as selective doors, allowing substances to
pass through them by several different means. Cells can transport molecules
passively without using any energy or ATP. This process is called diffusion. When
water is driven in or out of the cell, this is called osmosis. This occurs due to a
difference in the concentration gradient between two substances. This
concentration gradient is caused by a difference in solutes dissolved in the water. In
an effort to make the concentration gradients equal, water may pass through a
permeable membrane since the solute particles are too big and the membrane is
impermeable to these particles. Placing a cell in different substances can cause the
cell to lose water, gain water, or have no change at all.
Types of
solution

Concentration of H20

Effect on Cell

Hypertonic

Concentration outside <

Concentration inside

Cell releases water and

shrinks

Hypotonic

Concentration Outside >

Concentration inside

Cells bloat and possibly

burst

Egg Osmosis Demonstration

Isotonic

Concentration outside =
Concentration inside

No chance in cell shape

The eggs will be removed from their solutions, rinsed and patted dry. They will then
be measured and weighed using the same method as Day 1.

Day 2 Measurements
Mass of the
cup

Mass of the cup

and egg

(g)

(g)

Mass of the egg (oz)

(Mass of egg and cup Mass of
cup)

Egg 1 (Tap water)

3.19

Egg 2 (Distilled
water)

2.93

Egg Osmosis Demonstration

Egg 3 (Corn
syrup)

1.34

Egg 4 (Vinegar)

3.33

Tap Water
1. Did the cell/egg shrink, swell or stay the same?
It swelled because the weight of it went up
2. Do you think there is a higher concentration of water in the cell/egg or
in the tap water?
Higher tap water concentration
3. Based on your last answer, is the cell/egg in a hypertonic, hypotonic or
isotonic?
Hypertonic
4. Was the tap water a hyper-, hypo-, or isotonic solution?
Hypotonic solution

Distilled Water
1. Did the cell/egg shrink, swell or stay the same?
It almost stayed the same but weighed a little more
2. Do you think there is a higher concentration of water in the cell/egg or
in the distilled water?
Higher concentration of distilled water.
3. Based on your last answer, is the cell/egg in a hypertonic, hypotonic or
isotonic?
hypertonic
4. Was the distilled water a hyper-, hypo-, or isotonic solution?
hypotonic solution

Corn Syrup
1. Did the cell/egg shrink, swell or stay the same?
Shrunk
2. Do you think there is a higher concentration of water in the cell/egg or
in the corn syrup?

Egg Osmosis Demonstration

Higher concentration of corn syrup

3. Based on your last answer, is the cell/egg in a hypertonic, hypotonic or

isotonic?
Hypotonic
4. Was the corn syrup a hyper-, hypo-, or isotonic solution?
Hypertonic solution

Vinegar
1. Did the cell/egg shrink, swell or stay the same?
swelled
2. Do you think there is a higher concentration of water in the cell/egg or
in the vinegar?
Higher concentration of water
3. Based on your last answer, is the cell/egg in a hypertonic, hypotonic or
isotonic?
hypertonic
4. Was the vinegar a hyper-, hypo-, or isotonic solution?
hypotonic
What were the independent variable in the experiment? (The things we could
controlled)
The solutions that we put the egg in and the amount.

What were the dependent variables in the experiment?

The eggs

Data Analysis
1. Vinegar is made of 5% acetic acid and 95% water. When the egg was
placed in the vinegar, what began to happen? What happened to the shell of
the egg? Do you think this was a physical or chemical change?
It began to swell and the shell dissolved off. This was a physical change.

Egg Osmosis Demonstration

2. After sitting in the vinegar, which way did the water

molecules move? What is the proof? Draw a diagram and use arrows to show
the movement of water.

The water molecules moved it because it swelled through the pores.

3. When the egg was placed in the corn syrup, which way did the water
move? What is the proof? Draw a diagram and use arrows to show the
movement of water.
The water moved out because it shrinked.
4. If the egg that was placed in the corn syrup was put in either distilled
water or tap water for 24 hours, what do you think would happen to the egg?
Draw a diagram and use arrows to show the movement of water.
The water would be dissolved into the egg and it would swell.
5. What solutions were hypertonic?
The corn syrup egg
6. What solutions were hypotonic?
Vinegar, Distilled water, and Tap water eggs
7. Why are fresh fruits and vegetables sprinkled with water at a grocery
store?
So it can absorb it and keep its nutrients
8. Roads are sometimes salted to melt ice. What does the salting do to
the plants along the roadside? Explain.
They kill them because it takes the moisture out of it and dries it out.
9. If a lawn is fertilized and it does not rain, the grass often dies. Why?
It has new chemicals and the water is not there to keep any nutrients.
10.Why do dried fruits and dried beans often swell when they are cooked?
They are being put into water which gets into the pores and makes it swell.