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 we put the egg in the dierent concentrated liquids, then osmosis will occur.

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 9/8 44.3g ------------------ I observed a layer of fizzing and bubbling around the eggs
surface.
200mL
4 200mL
I observed that the egg expanded and that the color changed to a eggshell

120mL
yellow. I also observed that the mass increased and the vinegar was absorbed
9/11 82.7g a lot. Lastly the outer shell has soften and is gone.

I observed that the size and mass of the egg decreased. The shell was
5 completely gone and the color changed to a brown. The outer layer of
9/12 55.6g 200mL 215mL the egg was completely transparent. I could see the yellow yolk of the
egg.
6 9/13 160mL I observed that the outer layer of the egg had yellow spots.
84.9g ---------------- The egg looked like it was filled with some sort of brown
liquid. The egg expanded and was not as squishy.

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?
Vinegar is hypotonic and is made up of acid and water. The water molecules in the vinegar pass through
the egg because of the semi-permeable membrane, due to osmosis. My qualitative data supports the fact
that the egg gained mass. The egg expanded significantly from a mass of 44.3g to 82.7g.
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.
After the egg was placed in the hypertonic liquid(syrup), the molecules passed out through the egg's semi-
permeable membrane, due to osmosis. This can be proved because my qualitative data supports that eggs
mass dropped significantly from 82.7g to 55.6g. The egg has now shrunk and become more shriveled.
3. How can you explain the amount of liquid remaining when the egg was removed from the
syrup?
The amount of liquid increased from when the egg was removed because the egg released some vinegar back into the syrup. So
through osmosis, some of the vinegar went out of the egg's membrane and into the syrup. My qualitative data supports that there
was more liquid left when the egg was taken out. The volume was 200mL and then 215 mL when egg was taken out.
4. When the egg was placed in the water after being removed from the syrup, which way did the
water move?
When the egg was placed in water, the water moved into the semi-permeable membrane of the egg through
osmosis. The egg expanded and gained mass. My qualitative data supports this because the egg was 55.6g and
expanded to 84.9g. The water is a hypotonic solution.
Was your hypothesis validated? Explain why or why not.
Yes, because osmosis occurred will every trial of this experiment.
Graph your data. Remember to label and scale correctly.
 Table 1
Day Mass(g) Remaining volume (mL) Observations

1 44.3 I observed a layer of fizzing and

bubbling around the eggs surface.

4 82.7 120 I observed that the egg expanded

and that the color changed to a
eggshell yellow. I also observed that
the mass increased and the vinegar
was absorbed a lot. Lastly the outer
shell has soften and is gone.

5 55.6 215 I observed that the size and mass of

the egg decreased. The shell was
completely gone and the color
changed to a brown. The outer layer
of the egg was completely
transparent. I could see the yellow
yolk of the egg.

6 84.9 160 I observed that the outer layer of the

egg had yellow spots. The egg
looked like it was filled with some
sort of brown liquid. The egg
expanded and was not as squishy.

Mass(g) Remaining volume (mL)

Egg Osmosis Lab Data
90 220

67.5 165
g volume(mL)

1
in grams
 Mass in grams

45

22.5

0
1
4

2
Day
5
6
55

0
110

Remaining volume(mL)