Osmosis Egg Lab

Hypothesis: If various liquids come in contact with the egg, then the egg will change in
size and color.

Day 1) We first weighed the egg and learned that it was 61.4g. After weighing our egg,
we then measured 200 mL of vinegar and poured it into a beaker. Next, we placed our
egg into the beaker and it began to produce bubbles. We didn’t observe many things as
it was only just the first day, so we placed the beaker on the shelf to let it sit for a couple
of days.

Day 4) After sitting in the vinegar for 3 days, the egg has grown much in size. It has lost
its shell and now has a yellow cover. There are still remains of the shell left on the egg,
so we gently wash it off and put it on the scale to weigh it. Just as our calculations
predicted, the egg had grown a whopping 34.2g making its mass at a solid 95.6g. The
egg had taken in 35 mL of the vinegar we had placed it in and through osmosis,
transferred all the molecules into the egg. That left the beaker with 165 mL of vinegar
left, so we dumped it out and replaced it with 200 mL syrup.
Day 5) Another day has passed, and after sitting in the syrup for 24 hours, the egg has
surprisingly shrunk. Due to the hypertonic solution of the syrup, the water from the egg
comes out and thus, the egg has shrunk. After weighing it and making some
calculations, at 61.6g the egg has lost 36% of the water it had the day before. We also
measured the amount of liquid in the beaker, and originally at 200 mL of syrup, it now
had 224 mL of syrup meaning the egg had lost 24 mL of water thus explaining this
weight loss. After all this, we dump out the syrup and finally replace the beaker with 200
mL of water, replacing the egg back inside for one more day.

Day 6) On the last day, after sitting another 24 in plain water the egg has grown
extremely large. It had went from 61.6g to a shocking 101.6g; the egg had grown 40g.
Obviously the water was a hypotonic solution causing water molecules to enter the egg
through osmosis. The water level had gone from 200mL to 155mL which is 45mL that
passed the semipermeable membrane and entered the egg. After concluding our
observations, we trashed our eggs.
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?
The water molecules left the egg creating a hypotonic solution. I know this
because the egg increased in size.

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.

The water molecules moved in the egg through osmosis creating a hypertonic solution.
3. How can you explain the amount of liquid remaining when the egg was removed from
the syrup?

The egg had let out 24 mL of water into the syrup thus making the amount of syrup
more than it had begun with. The egg needed to do this in order to reach dynamic
equilibrium.

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

The water entered the egg. If you look on the graph, the egg went from 61.6g to 101.6g.

My hypothesis was supported. I know that because I said that coming into contact with
those various liquids caused osmosis to come into effect and made the water molecules
to move in and out of the egg causing it to change in size and color. Plus their hypotonic
and hypertonic solutions caused the semipermeable membrane to let water in and out
of the egg also changing its size.