osmosis egg experiment observation

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Osmosis Experiment: Dissolving Egg Shells With Vinegar

How does osmosis keep you healthy.

Right now, as you read this, there are millions of things happening throughout your body. The food you ate just a bit ago is making its way through a watery slurry inside your stomach and small intestines. Your kidneys are working hard to excrete waste and extra water. The lacrimal glands near your eyes are secreting tears, which allow your eyelids to close without damaging your eyeballs. What’s one thing that all of these processes have in common? They all rely on osmosis: the diffusion of water from one place to another.

Osmosis factors heavily in each of these processes and is an important force for keeping every single cell in your body healthy. Osmosis is hard to see without a microscope. But if we create our very own model of a cell, using a shell-less chicken egg, we can see what happens when we manipulate the osmotic balance in the “cell”!

• 3 glasses (large enough to fit the egg plus liquid)
• 3 butter knives
• White vinegar (about 3 cups)
• Distilled water (about 2 cups)
• Light corn syrup (about 1 ¼ cups)
• Slotted spoon
• Measuring cup (1 cup)
• Measuring spoons (1 tablespoon and ½ tablespoon)
• Sticky notes and marker
• Scale (optional)

Note : It’s okay to touch the eggs, but remember to wash your hands afterwards to avoid any nasty surprises!

1. Place one egg in each glass. Pour in enough vinegar to cover each egg. Bubbles will start to form around the egg, and it’ll float up. To keep it submerged, put a butter knife in the glass to hold it down.

2. Put the three glasses in the refrigerator and allow to sit for 24 hours.

3. Gently holding the egg in the glass, pour out the old vinegar. Replace with fresh vinegar, and let sit in the refrigerator for another 24 hours. Repeat this process until the shells are fully dissolved and only the membrane remains. This should take about 2-3 days.

4. Gently remove the eggs using the slotted spoon and rinse with tap water in the sink. Rinse out the empty glasses as well.

5. Gently put the shell-less eggs aside for a moment on a plate.

6. Prepare three different sugar-water solutions as follows, labeling with sticky notes:

Glass 1: Label “hypertonic”. Pour in one cup of corn syrup.

Glass 2: Label “isotonic”. Add 1 ½ tablespoons corn syrup to the one cup measuring cup, and fill the remainder with distilled water. Pour into glass (make sure you get all the corn syrup out!) and stir to dissolve.

Glass 3: Label “hypotonic”. Pour in one cup of distilled water. Gently put one shell-less egg in each of the glasses, and let sit in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.

7. Remove the glasses from the refrigerator, and gently put the eggs on a plate. If you weighed the eggs before putting them in each solution, weigh them again. What happened to each of the eggs?

How does osmosis work?

Osmosis is the scientific term that describes how water flows to different places depending on certain conditions. In this case, water moves around to different areas based on a concentration gradient , i.e. solutions which have different concentrations of dissolved particles ( solutes ) in them. Water always flows to the area with the most dissolved solutes, so that in the end both solutions have an equal concentration of solutes. Think about if you added a drop of food dye to a cup of water – even if you didn’t stir it, it would eventually dissolve on its own into the water.

In biological systems, the different solutions are usually separated by a semipermeable membrane , like cell membranes or kidney tubules . These act sort of like a net that keeps solutes trapped, but they still allow water to pass through freely. In this way, cells can keep all of their “guts” contained but still exchange water.

Now, think about the inside of an egg. There’s a lot of water inside of the egg, but a lot of other things (i.e. solutes) too, like protein and fat. When you placed the egg in the three solutions, how do you think the concentration of solutes differed between the inside of the egg and outside of the egg? The egg membrane acts as a semipermeable membrane and keeps all of the dissolved solutes separated but allows the water to pass through.

How did osmosis make the eggs change size (or not)?

If the steps above work out properly, the results should be as follows.

In the case of the hypertonic solution, there were more solutes in the corn syrup than there were in the egg. So, water flowed out of the egg and into the corn syrup, and as a result the egg shriveled up.

In the case of the isotonic solution, there was roughly an equal amount of solutes in the corn syrup/water solution than there was in the egg, so there was no net movement in or out of the egg. It stayed the same size.

In the case of the hypotonic solution, there were more solutes in the egg than in the pure water. So, water flowed into the egg, and as a result, it grew in size.

Osmosis and You

Every cell in your body needs the right amount of water inside of it to keep its shape, produce energy, get rid of wastes, and other functions that keep you healthy.

This is why medicines that are injected into patients need to be carefully designed so that the solution has the same concentration of solutes as their cells (i.e. isotonic). If you were sick and became dehydrated, for example, you would get a 0.90% saline IV drip. If it were too far off from this mark it wouldn’t be isotonic anymore, and your blood cells might shrivel up or even explode , depending on the concentration of dissolved solutes in the water.

Osmosis works just the same way in your cells as it does in our egg “cell” model. Thankfully, though, the semipermeable membrane of the egg is much stronger, so you don’t have to worry about the egg exploding as well!

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How to Understand Osmosis with Eggs

Last Updated: August 10, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Meredith Juncker, PhD . Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Her studies are focused on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 28,585 times.

Osmosis is a biological and chemical process that describes the movement of water from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution. During osmosis, water molecules move through a semipermeable membrane to create an equal distribution of water on both sides. The growing and shrinking egg test uses eggs, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, and water to demonstrate this important and complicated natural process. This fun experiment helps showcase osmosis in a fun, exciting, and visual way! [1] X Research source

Dissolving the Eggs’ Shells

• This number will be important as you compare other data that you will collect throughout the project.

• Keep the eggs out of direct sunlight and be sure that the temperature is stable.
• Carbon dioxide bubbles will cover the eggs as the vinegar dissolves the shells. [4] X Research source Beneath an egg’s shell lies the egg membrane, which is a layer that is made up of proteins that help protect the egg’s center from bacteria. [5] X Research source

• If you use a spoon to remove the eggs, you may risk breaking or damaging the eggs. [6] X Research source

Growing One of the Naked Eggs

Shrinking One of the Naked Eggs

• Corn syrup has a high density due to its high concentration of sugar molecules, and it is denser than both water and vinegar. This disparity in density will demonstrate how osmosis can have a different effect on the appearance of the egg.

Following the Scientific Method

• Record the egg’s circumference. You may wish to observe how the circumference of the eggs changed throughout the experiment as well. Use a flexible tape measure to measure the widest part of the egg. Record this data and gently measure the egg in the same place after each section of the experiment. [10] X Research source
• Measure the amount of liquid used. Keep track of how much water, vinegar, and corn syrup you placed in each cup. When the egg has been removed, pour the remaining liquid into a beaker or a measuring cup. Record the amount of liquid lost or gained during the experiment.

• Was the temperature outside particularly hot that day? Did you accidentally spill some of the vinegar when retrieving your egg? Make note of anything that could have altered the data.

Community Q&A

• Take before and after photos during each section of the experiment. This will help you observe how osmosis can affect the size of the eggs in various environments. [12] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Place the naked eggs in salt water and sugar water and record how osmosis affects the eggs in those solutions. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Do not eat the egg. Remember that the egg is raw and has been sitting in a mixture for several days. [13] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

• White vinegar
• Notebook or computer
• Faucet and sink
• Flexible tape measure (optional)

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.science-sparks.com/2011/08/29/shrinking-eggs/
• ↑ http://imaginationstationtoledo.org/educator/activities/how-to-make-a-naked-egg
• ↑ https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/growing-and-shrinking-egg/
• ↑ https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/eggs/eggcomposition.html
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrON0nEEWmo
• ↑ http://www.aeb.org/images/PDFs/Educators/g6-9-shrinking-and-growing-eggs.pdf
• ↑ https://www.csub.edu/chemistry/_files/Egg%20OsmosisAO.pdf
• ↑ http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/thescientificmethod.html

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Use a giant cell—a de-shelled chicken egg—to explore the comings and goings of cellular substances.

• Several chicken eggs
• Large container, such as a wash basin or large bowl
• Pencil and notepaper (or similar) for recording information
• Several substances in which to soak or bury the de-shelled eggs, such as distilled water, dry salt or saltwater solutions, colored water, corn syrup, rubbing alcohol, cornstarch, or baking soda
• Containers to hold the soaking eggs
• Plastic wrap (not shown)
• Masking tape and marker for labeling containers
• Optional: nitrile or latex gloves for handling eggs, glass jars or other small objects to hold down floating eggs

• Determine the treatments you’ll be using on your eggs, and prepare the substances you’ll need. You can make salt-water solutions by dissolving different amounts of table salt in containers of water (e.g. 100g, 200g, 300g of salt (NaCl) per liter). You can make solutions of food coloring by adding a few drops of each color into containers of water. Remember to label your containers as you work.

Use a scale to find the mass of each de-shelled egg before treatment. Record the result on notepaper.

Place one egg in a labeled container and cover it with your chosen treatment. (If the egg floats, you may use something to hold it down, such as a glass jar; see photo below.) Repeat for each of the remaining treatments. Be sure to set aside an untreated "control" egg. After taking its mass, cover the control egg with plastic wrap, and set it in a container alongside the treatment eggs.

Place the treatment containers somewhere they can sit for at least a day at room temperature. Observe any changes that occur in the eggs during the first hour or so of soaking and record your observations.

Observe any changes in the color, size, or shape of your experimental eggs. Record your observations. Then, gently remove your sample eggs from their treatments to measure and record the mass of each one (see photo below). Remove the plastic wrap from the control egg and measure its mass too. Calculate the percentage change in mass for each egg by dividing the final mass by the starting mass and multiplying by one hundred percent.

In a separate bowl, carefully dissect the egg by piercing the membrane. Record your observations.

How did each egg change? Did its mass increase or decrease? Do you see anything in common with the treatments that enlarged the eggs? Which treatments made the eggs shrink, and which did not?

In general, the most dramatic changes to the mass, color, and shape of the eggs will occur within the first 24 hours of the experiment. Eggs submerged in corn syrup will have lost considerable mass and have the appearance of flabby sacks. Eggs soaked in distilled water will gain mass and appear dramatically swollen. Eggs in dilute salt solutions will gain mass, and even those in very concentrated solutions might gain mass. Eggs buried in salt or other dry media should lose mass.

The de-shelled eggs serve as good models of human cells. After the eggshell is removed, a thin membrane (actually, two membranes held tightly together) remains. This membrane, like those in human cells, is selectively permeable, allowing certain substances to pass through while blocking others.

Substances that can pass easily through the membrane of the egg will follow the principles of diffusion. They will move through the membrane from the side where they are at a higher concentration to the side where they are at a lower concentration (click to enlarge the diagram below). This movement will continue until the concentration on both sides is the same. While random molecular motion will cause individual molecules to continue moving back and forth across the membrane, the overall concentration on each side will remain in equilibrium, with equal concentrations on both sides.

The egg’s membrane is permeable to water. Movement of a solvent (such as water) across a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated one is called osmosis . When an egg is soaked in a solution that has a higher solute concentration (the relative amount of dissolved stuff) than the solute concentration inside the egg, water moves out of the egg and into the solution (see diagram below).

As a result, the egg loses mass and ends up looking deflated. An egg naturally has a lot of stuff inside, so the outside solution has to be very concentrated for this to happen. That’s the case when an egg is treated with corn syrup or buried in salt. By contrast, when an egg is treated with distilled water, or a dilute salt solution, the solute concentration is higher inside the egg than out, so the water moves into the egg, increasing its mass. It may be easier to think about osmosis in terms of water concentration rather than solute concentration. If the solute concentration is high, then the water concentration will be low by comparison.

Rubbing, or isopropyl, alcohol is at least 70% alcohol and therefore less than 30% water. This should cause water to move from the egg into the solution, and the egg should lose mass. In addition, the egg may appear white and rubbery. Alcohol that diffuses into the egg can denature the proteins, unraveling their three-dimensional structure and causing them to coagulate or join together. Egg proteins turn from translucent to white when they are denatured. In cooking, temperature is used to denature these proteins, but you may have noticed that alcohol has also "cooked" the egg and caused it to look hard-boiled.

The plasma membranes of your cells behave much like those of the egg. All of the trillions of cells in your body are like busy seaports with materials coming in and going out. Water, oxygen, and nutrients must pass through the plasma membrane into your cells, and wastes must leave. When the concentration of oxygen is higher in your lungs than it is in your blood, for example, the oxygen diffuses into red blood cells through capillary walls. Your flowing blood then transports that oxygen to your tissues. From there, the oxygen diffuses into other cells to be used in cellular respiration. Through a similar process, water in the stomach moves into the bloodstream and is then carried to the cells, where it supports a variety of essential bodily functions.

Predict what would happen if you placed the shrunken eggs in plain water overnight. Do the experiment and explain your results.

In this activity, not only can you measure how much material moved into or out of a treated egg, but you can also chemically determine whether molecules moved across the membrane. If you break the egg into a dish, or save some of the soaking solution, you can use chemical tests to see what’s there. For example, you can use Benedict’s solution to test for simple sugars, iodine to test for starch, or Biuret solution to determine whether or not protein exited the egg as it soaked.

When using this activity with large groups of students or multiple classes, have each group apply only one treatment, and then analyze the data collected from all groups. Having each small group design an experiment with one egg will allow you to do the activity with fewer eggs per class, and collecting several sets of data will enable students to identify any outliers.

This Snack is an excellent activity for introducing diffusion, osmosis, and the semipermeability of membranes and allows learners to engage in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. By collecting data from multiple classes, you can facilitate a discussion about what and how much data is necessary to count as evidence. Students can also use the evidence about what and how much material moves into and out of the egg to formulate a revisable model about how osmosis occurs and what might prevent or allow molecules to move through membranes. By incorporating related activities, such as the Cellular Soap Opera Snack, students can form a more complete conceptual model of the cell membrane and how molecules move along concentration gradients.

Note that it’s also important to discuss the idea that models such as this one have limitations. There are structural differences between the membranes of chicken eggs and human cells that result in differences in permeability. Some of the molecules that pass through the egg’s membrane in this activity would not pass through a human cell membrane because of their size (such as cornstarch) or their charge (such as Na + and Cl - from the salt). 

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Egg in Vinegar Experiment – Make a Rubber Egg

The egg in vinegar experiment is a fun way of learning about egg structure, chemical reactions, osmosis, and the scientific method . It’s a safe and non-toxic project, so it’s perfect for young investigators. Other names for the egg in vinegar experiment are the naked egg, rubber egg, or bouncy egg. The “naked” part is easy to understand, because you’re removing the shell from the egg using chemistry. The “rubber” or “bouncy” description implies the egg bounces rather than breaks. Does it work? You be the judge!

The Chemistry of the Egg in Vinegar Experiment

Vinegar contains acetic acid (CH 3 COOH), which is a weak acid . Egg shells are calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). Acetic acid reacts with calcium carbonate, making calcium acetate and carbon dioxide. Here is the balanced chemical equation for the reaction:

2 CH 3 COOH(aq) + CaCO 3 (s) → Ca(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 (aq) + H 2 O(l) + CO 2 (g)

The calcium acetate dissolves in water, while the carbon dioxide is a gas and forms bubbles. So, the egg shell dissolves and bubbles away, leaving a naked egg.

What You Do

All you need for this project is an egg, vinegar, and a cup:

• Cup large enough for the egg
• Food coloring (optional)

Use either a raw egg or hard-boiled egg. The advantage of using a raw egg is that you can see into the inside of the egg when you are done. The advantage of using a hard-boiled egg is that it bounces after pickling in the vinegar. The raw egg bounces a bit too, but if you use too much force it breaks open and makes a mess.

• Place the egg in a cup.
• Pour vinegar over the egg until it is just covered. It’s okay if the egg floats a bit. If you like, add a few drops of food coloring. After about 15 minutes, observe the bubbles forming around the egg. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas. They form from the chemical reaction between the acetic acid in the vinegar and the calcium carbonate of the egg shell. You may also feel that the cup is slightly warm. The reaction is exothermic, meaning it gives off heat. The bubbles and temperature change are two signs of a chemical change .
• Wait a day. Also note that the liquid becomes cloudy or scummy. This is the dissolving egg shell.
• If you remove the egg after 1 day, use a spoon. Otherwise, a raw egg easily ruptures. At this point, if you remove the egg, you can easily rinse away any remaining shell. But, you get better results if you pour off the liquid and add fresh vinegar. This is especially true if you want a rubber egg or bouncy egg. Wait another day or two, giving the vinegar time to get all the way into the egg.
• Remove the egg and rinse it off using water.

Why Rotten Eggs Float in Water

Learn the scientific reason why bad eggs float in water, while good eggs sink.

Science Experiments to Try

Now that you have a rubber egg, what do you do with it?

• Examine the internal structure of the egg. This only works if you started with a raw egg and not a hard-boiled one. Identify the egg membrane, yolk, egg white (albumin), and chalaza.
• Compare the egg without its shell to a normal egg. Notice that the egg soaked in vinegar is slightly larger than the egg with its shell. Why is this? The reason is because water entered the rubber egg via osmosis . The concentration of salts, proteins, and other molecules inside the egg is greater than the concentration in the cup. The egg membrane is semipermeable. It allows the movement of water, but not larger molecules. So, the egg swells with water to try to dilute the inside of the egg so it has the same concentration and outside of the egg. Experiment : Predict what happens if you soak the rubber egg in corn syrup, salt water, or sugar water. Compare the size of this egg with a normal egg and a rubber egg. Corn syrup, salt water, or sugar water shrink the egg because the liquid is more concentrated the interior of the egg. Here, water leaves the egg via osmosis.
• Try bouncing the egg. In addition to dissolving the egg shell, vinegar also pickles the egg. It changes the conformation of protein molecules in the egg white. Because vinegar has a low pH, it also helps preserve the egg. Experiment : Compare how well a rubber egg bounces depending on whether you started with a raw egg or hard-boiled egg.

Can You Eat the Egg?

Eating an egg after soaking it in vinegar is not a great plan. First, it won’t taste great. Second, it could make you sick. If you must eat your experiment, soak a hard-boiled egg in vinegar in the refrigerator for a few days.

Does the Egg in Vinegar Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

Mostly, the egg comes out of this project smelling like vinegar. Vinegar pickles the egg, which preserves it. But, once you remove the egg from vinegar it starts decomposing. After enough time, if you break the egg, it will stink. The odor comes from hydrogen sulfide gas, which is a product of the decomposition reactions in the egg.

Of course, if you start the project with a rotten egg, all bets are off. Rupturing the membrane releases any trapped gases. Bounce these egg with care!

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Published experiments

Investigating osmosis in chickens’ eggs, class practical.

In this procedure, you can observe osmosis in an animal system by using chickens’ eggs from which the shells have been removed by dissolving in acid. The eggs are weighed and placed in solutions of different strength for 24-48 hours before being weighed again.

Lesson organisation

You can run this as a demonstration, or a class practical where pairs of pupil have an egg and each pair place their eggs in different solutions (amalgamating results to provide whole-class data). If you can manage the number of eggs, each group could have three eggs.

Apparatus and Chemicals

For each group of students:.

Paper towel

Beaker, 200 cm 3

150 cm 3 of each salt solution to be used.

For the class – set up by technician/ teacher:

De-shelled eggs ( Note 1 )

Sodium chloride solutions in a range of concentrations, for example, 0%, 10%, 20%. (150 cm 3 of each concentration for each working group)

Health & Safety and Technical notes

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is described as IRRITANT at concentrations above 2.0 M, causes burns and is irritating to the respiratory system. Technicians will need to take precautions when preparing the eggs, but the rinsed eggs should be low hazard for students to handle.

Sodium chloride is described as low hazard. See CLEAPSS Hazcard.

Wear eye protection as some of the sodium chloride solutions are strong.

Rinse hands if splashed by solutions.

Read our standard health & safety guidance

1 To de-shell chicken’s eggs, leave overnight in a large beaker of acid (1.5 M - 2 M of hydrochloric acid is ideal). This will dissolve the shells. Weigh down the eggs with a second beaker containing water, so they are pushed down into the acid and do not float above the surface. This ensures all the shell is removed and there is not a patch left. Trying to pick off a patch will break the egg! Rinse the eggs before use. A de-shelled egg is strong enough to handle with care. If consecutive lessons are several days apart, store the eggs in solutions in the refrigerator.

Ethical issues

These eggs are sold as foodstuffs and are unlikely to be fertile. There may be ethical issues associated with farming processes, but not specifically with this use of the eggs. Students who are vegetarians or vegans may object to handling animal material.

SAFETY: Make sure the acid is rinsed off the eggs before use.

Preparation

a De-shell the eggs in acid overnight. Rinse before students handle them.

Investigation

b Ensure the egg is dry by gently patting it with a paper towel.

c Place the egg on a balance and record the mass in a suitable table.

d Put the egg in a 200 cm 3 beaker.

e Pour in enough sodium chloride solution to cover the egg. Record the concentration of sodium chloride used.

f Leave the egg until next lesson – at least 24 hours.

g Pour the sodium chloride solution off the egg.

h Dry the egg carefully using a paper towel.

i Place the egg on the balance and record the mass in the table.

j Calculate change in mass and percentage change in mass.

k Compare the results for the different concentrations of sodium chloride.

Teaching notes

The egg is not a single animal cell. However the egg’s membrane is selectively permeable, so it is a good model to show osmotic effects in animal tissue.

Run the practical by following the procedure, or as investigations with the following variations.

• Use a full range of salt solutions 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% etc.
• Time: Put the eggs in either distilled water or 20% salt solution. Remove and weigh at timed intervals, for example, every 10 minutes.
• Temperature: Put eggs in a fixed solution at different temperatures, such as 0°C, 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, and weigh after a fixed time, for example, 30 minutes.

Health and safety checked, September 2008

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Naked Eggs: Osmosis

Activity length, 10 mins. plus 24 hours, activity type, discrepant event (investigatable).

Diffusion is the spontaneous movement of any substance spreading from a higher concentration to a lower concentration, attempting to reach equilibrium.

Osmosis is similar, but is particular to solutions (dissolved mixtures) separated by a membrane.  Osmosis is the process in which water moves through a membrane. The natural movement of water is from the side of the membrane with a high concentration of water to the side with a low concentration of water.

After dissolving the eggshell, we are left with a membrane that holds the insides of the egg. This membrane is selectively permeable . This means that it lets some molecules move through it and blocks out other molecules. Water moves through the membrane easily. Bigger molecules, like the sugar molecules in the corn syrup, do not pass through the membrane.

You may have noticed that the egg expanded in the initial vinegar solution when you dissolved the shell. This is because the vinegar has a higher concentration of water than the inside of the egg.

To reach equilibrium , water molecules move from the vinegar into the egg through the semi-permeable membrane. If the membrane were completely permeable, water molecules would move in and protein would move out until both solutions were the same concentration. Since the egg membrane is semi-permeable, water can move in but proteins cannot move out.

If a naked egg is placed in the corn syrup the egg will shrink . This is also due to osmosis, but in the opposite direction. The corn syrup is mostly sugar. It has a lower concentration of water (25% water) than the egg (90% water). To reach equilibrium, osmosis causes the water molecules to move out of the egg and into the corn syrup until both solutions have the same concentration of water. The outward movement of water causes the egg to shrivel.

Describe osmosis.

Determine the direction of water movement based on solution concentrations.

Describe the function of a semi-permeable membrane.

Per Class: corn syrup or simple sugar solution (enough to cover each group’s egg_ scale (optional)

Per Group of 3–4 students: “naked” (shell-less) egg from Naked Eggs: Acid-Base Reaction activity jar or bowl slightly larger than the egg big spoon water

Key Questions

• Why is your naked egg that was soaked in vinegar bigger than a shelled egg?
• Why does the egg in corn syrup change shape and weight?
• Does the egg soaked in water change shape and weight?
• What could you do to return the egg to its original form?

Prior Experiment – make a  Naked Egg

Preparation

• Designate a “corn syrup pouring station” at your desk so that you can monitor the amount of corn syrup students are using (to avoid wasting).
• Place a naked egg in a jar of plain water to use as a “control”. Treat it the same way as the corn syrup-covered egg.
• Weigh your egg and note the measurement.
• Put your naked egg in a jar and add enough corn syrup to cover the egg.
• Store the egg in a refrigerator (or somewhere cool) for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, scoop out the egg and observe the changes.
• Weigh the egg again and note the measurement.
• Draw a diagram of your egg in the corn syrup. In what direction is osmosis occurring (the movement of water molecules across the membrane)?
• Return the corn syrup-covered shriveled egg to its non-flabby former shape! Carefully lift the flabby egg from the corn syrup and place it in a container of water. Leave the egg in the water for 24 hours. Osmosis will occur; that is, the water will migrate from the side of the membrane where water molecules are abundant (i.e. outside the egg) to the side where water molecules are less abundant (inside the egg). After 24 hours, the egg will be plump again!
• Experiment with naked eggs by soaking them in other solutions. What happens if you put the egg in water with food colouring? Or salty water?

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Osmosis Eggsperiment

Introduction.

Water passes into and out of cells by a special type of diffusion called  osmosis . Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration. All of our cells are surrounded by a selectively permeable membrane through which water molecules can pass. In this simple experiment, your students will use an egg membrane to model how osmosis works in animal cells.

Next Generation Science Standards

• LS1.A: Structure and Function.  Within cells, special structures are responsible for particular functions, and the cell membrane forms the boundary that controls what enters and leaves the cell.
• Science and Engineering Practices:  Developing and Using Models
• Crosscutting Concepts:  Structure and Function

Considerations

This activity works best for students working in groups of 2 to 3 and takes place over 3 days as follows:

• Day 1: Dissolving Eggshells 15minutes
• Day 2: Setting up the experiment 30minutes
• Day 3: Recording data and completing a lab report 45minutes

Per Student Group:

• 2 Fresh Eggs
• White Vinegar (about 600 mL)
• 2 Containers (large enough to hold an egg and completely cover it with liquid; 600-mL beakers work well)
• Large Spoon
• Distilled Water (about 300 mL)
• Corn Syrup (about 300 mL)
• 2 Small Paper Plates
• Grease Pencil

Preparation and Procedure

The first step is to dissolve the eggshell and expose the membrane. To do this, students soak the eggs in vinegar for 24 hours. Vinegar contains acetic acid that reacts with the calcium carbonate in the shell. When students first place the eggs in vinegar, have them observe the tiny bubbles forming around the eggs. This is evidence that a chemical reaction is taking place. The procedures below include the steps for dissolving the shells and completing the experiment.

• Use the grease pencil to label one container and one paper plate “Egg 1” and the other container and paper plate “Egg 2.” Carefully place an egg into each container.
• Pour enough vinegar over each egg to completely cover it.
• Observe the eggs for a few minutes and note any changes.
• Leave the eggs in their containers for 24 hours.
• Observe the eggs the next day and record your observations.
• Slowly pour the vinegar out of each container. Be very careful not to rupture the egg membranes.
• Carefully remove the eggs using the tablespoon, rinse them with water, and place each on its own labeled paper plate. Set the containers aside for now.
• Measure and record the mass of each egg, then place each egg back into its original container.
• Pour distilled water into the Egg 1 container until the egg is completely covered.
• Pour corn syrup into the Egg 2 container until the egg is completely covered.
• Put the 2 containers in a safe place overnight.  Note:   Have students make a prediction about what they think will happen to the mass of each egg .
• After 24 hours, observe each egg and record your observations.
• Slowly pour the water or syrup out of each container. Be very careful not to rupture the egg membranes.
• Carefully remove the eggs using the spoon, rinse them with water, and place each on its own labeled paper plate.
• Measure and record the mass of each egg. Calculate and record the change in mass.

Sample Data Table

Students should observe that the egg in distilled water was plump and gained mass, while the egg that was in corn syrup was shriveled and lost mass.

After the experiment, share with your students that egg white is about 90% water and discuss with them how the egg membrane (like a cell membrane) is selectively permeable. It lets some molecules move through—such as water, while it blocks larger molecules—such as sugar.

From students’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion, they should be able to explain that placing the egg in distilled water caused water to move from outside of the egg, where the concentration was higher, to inside of the egg, where the concentration was lower. The reverse happened for the egg placed in corn syrup. Because corn syrup contains a high amount of sugar, water molecules moved from the inside of the egg to an area of lower concentration outside of the egg.

• Have students think of a way to make the shriveled egg plump again.
• Have students plan and conduct investigations using other solutions such as salty water, and also with food coloring.
• Have students create a drawing showing how osmosis works. They may also create a physical model using candy pieces to represent water molecules.

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Egg Osmosis Experiments With Distilled Water & Salt Water

Science Project Egg Experiments

Osmosis happens when a solvent, like distilled water, diffuses across a membrane into a solution that has a higher concentration of some solute, like salt water. Eggs are a model system for demonstrating osmosis because the thin membrane that lies underneath the shell is permeable to water, providing a system that changes volume as water passes in or out of the egg's interior.

Goal of the Experiment

Inside the egg membrane is a concentrated solution of proteins and water. When the egg is soaked in distilled water, osmosis causes water to diffuse into the egg to equalize the concentration of water on both sides of the membrane, and the egg increases in volume. If that same egg is then soaked in concentrated salt water, osmosis causes the water to diffuse back out of the egg, and the egg decreases in volume. The goal of the experiment is to demonstrate the process of osmosis by measuring the change in volume of the egg and then relate this to how water moves in and out of living cells.

Time Requirements

If only one experiment is performed on each individual egg, you will need to plan on three days for the experiment. Two days may be required to dissolve the egg shell with vinegar so that only the rubbery membrane remains. One day is required to complete each osmosis experiment on a single egg. Demonstrating osmosis in both directions, diffusion of water into the egg and then out of the egg, will require an additional 24 hours, for a total of four days.

Material Requirements

In addition to the eggs and vinegar to dissolve the shell, you will need plastic cups or glassware to store the eggs while soaking, salt to make a concentrated salt solution, and some way to measure the change in volume of the egg, such as rulers to measure the egg's dimensions, balances to measure the change in mass, or graduated glassware to measure displaced volume. Keep a stock of cleaning supplies nearby to deal with broken eggs.

Experimental Variations

Simple variations can be made to the experiment to make it more interesting. Food coloring can be added to the distilled water to demonstrate with color that water from the cup is moving inside the egg. After the egg swells in size, it can be popped and colored water will come out. Solutions other than salt water can also be used to cause water to diffuse out of the egg, such as oils or syrups that have little to no water content. These will cause a larger decrease in the egg's volume than salt water.

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• Oregon State University, Agriculture in the Classroom: Egg Science: Dissolution & Osmosis
• ILoveBacteria.com: Egg Osmosis
• Penn State Materials Research Institute, Education and Outreach Programs: Osmosis Eggs
• CSIRO: Easter Egg Eggs-periments for Kids
• Fermilab ARISE Project: Osmosis Egg Lab

About the Author

Joshua Bush has been writing from Charlottesville, Va., since 2006, specializing in science and culture. He has authored several articles in peer-reviewed science journals in the field of tissue engineering. Bush holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.

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Magical Eggs

Have you ever made an eggshell disappear? You can.  In this osmosis egg experiment , you will explore chemical reactions, plasma membrane, and osmosis.

Eggs are specialized cells called gametes.  Eggs have a membrane and a hard outer covering that function to protect the developing embryo and behave similarly to a cell’s membrane.

This can be divided into several parts and is a great lab to come back to again and again adding deeper science context each time.  You start by making the shell disappear .

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What are the signs that a chemical reaction is occurring?

You are going to use vinegar to cause a chemical reaction. For this reaction how will you know it is happening? BUBBLES.

Scientists know that bubbles in a liquid either come from air escaping to the surface. This air was either trapped in the liquid, to begin with, or a chemical reaction has occurred. In this case, the vinegar reacts with the shell of the egg and causes the release of carbon dioxide .

Using the scientific method

I’m a big believer in the scientific method so we did an experimental egg and a control egg. The question my kids had was, what will happen to an egg in vinegar?   Their hypothesis was, an egg in vinegar will behave the same as an egg in water.  As Dwight Schrute would say, “False”.

As mentioned above, the vinegar reacts with the components of the shell and causes the shell to disappear. This leaves the membrane behind and you get a rubberized egg.

Our initial results.

We played with them for a little while (over the sink) and even dropped it to watch it bounce, but eventually, it broke. Leaving the membrane behind. Then we were able to see that the inside of the egg was still raw.  Of course, we had to “see” what would happen if we threw our control egg into the sink.

This is an experiment that we have circled back around to and added more concepts in.   The first one was about the cell membrane.

Why is the plasma membrane known as a semi-permeable membrane?

Semi-permeable membranes allow some things to pass through the membrane and don’t allow others.

Using the naked egg as a model for the cell with the membrane around the egg acting as a cell membrane we could test the permeability of the membrane.

What happens to a cell surrounded by water?

We were able to test three different eggs in three different solutions to see if the eggs gained or lost weight.  The weight was caused by the movement of water across the membrane (either into or out of the egg).  The results were dramatic.

Grab our entire osmosis egg experiment so you can run your own experiment.

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Investigating Osmosis in Chicken Eggs  WIP

Meta Description

Learning Objectives

To demonstrate and compare the effects of osmosis.

To understand how changing osmotic potential effects the net movement of water

Osmosis Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from a region of high solute concentration to a region of lower solute concentration.

Solute The substance which has been dissolved into another substance (this second substance is known as the solvent e.g. water)

Membrane A layer acting as a barrier against specific substances.

Semi-permeable Selectively allows certain substances to pass while prohibiting the entrance of other substances.

Hypotonic A solution with lower solute concentration when compared to another solution.

Hypertonic A solution with higher solute concentration when compared to another solution.

Isotonic When two solutions have equal solute concentrations.

Step 1 Place the egg very gently into the base of the container. Make sure that the egg does not crack, if it does, replace the egg.

Step 2 Pour vinegar on top of the egg, making sure that the egg is fully submerged.

Step 3 Leave the egg in the vinegar for about 24 hours.

Step 4 If egg shell does not dissolve in 24 hours, replace the vinegar in the container with a new vinegar solution and leave for another 24 hours.

Step 5 When the shell has dissolved, remove the solution and carefully rinse the naked egg.

Step 6 Compare how a normal egg looks with how the naked egg looks.

Step 7 Place the naked egg back in the container.

Step 8 Submerge the naked egg with corn syrup.

Step 9 Bend a spoon and use it to hold down the egg in the container.

Step 10 Leave the naked egg in the corn syrup for a further 24 – 48 hours.

Step 11 Pour out the corn syrup and give the resultant shrivelled egg a rinse.

Step 12 Compare the resultant egg with a normal egg.

Step 13 Fill the container with water, add a few drops of food colouring and stir the solution.

Step 14 Place the shrivelled egg in the container and leave it for a few days (24-48 hours should do).

Step 15 Observe the new egg shape.

Be creative in this experiment. Use other chemicals found in your kitchen such as coffee. Predict what will happen and after you conducted the experiment and check if your prediction was correct.

If you would rather eat your eggs instead of using them for this experiment, you can use fruits or vegetables instead. Potatoes work well.

• Use gloves and overalls when handling the food colouring, since it can easily stain.
• Corn syrup can be very messy so make sure you have some tissues close by.
• Some people are allergic to eggs. If you are one of them, do not worry, use a potato instead (or other vegetables/fruit). http://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/types-food-allergy/egg-allergy

Imagine a large room which is divided into two areas by a wall, along the wall there is a row of tiny gates. In one half of the room there are 50 people and on the other side of the wall there are only 5 people. Among the people, there are cats, roughly the same number of cats on both sides of the rooms. While the humans are too large to pass through the tiny gates, the cats can easily pass through and are free to move to both areas of the room.

After some time it was noted that the number of cats increased dramatically in the area where there were more people. But why?

You are trying to grow a nice selection of lettuce in the garden, however, every morning you come out to water your beautiful plants just to see that they have been someone else’s midnight snack. The culprit? Slugs! You have been told that putting salt around the plants can protect your lettuce, so just before bed you surround your plants with salt and go to bed. The next morning you find pristine lettuce, surrounded by shriveled up remains of slugs. All the moisture from the slugs has been drawn out of the slugs.

Why do we remove the eggshell? To reveal the egg membrane.

Why does the egg expand in vinegar? To reveal the egg membrane.

Why does the naked egg change shape in corn syrup? Water moves out of the egg.

Why does the eggshell dissolve in the vinegar? The acid in the vinegar reacts with the eggshell (calcium carbonate).

Why did the egg float when left for a couple of hours in the vinegar solution? Carbon dioxide forms when the egg shell dissolves causing the egg to float. https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/eggs/activity-naked.html

Over time, the eggshell dissolved after being placed in the vinegar. This occurs due to a reaction between acetic acid (vinegar) and calcium carbonate (eggshell) to produce carbon dioxide. The egg swelled because there was a higher concentration of water in the vinegar, compared to the inside of the egg. This causes a net movement of water into the egg through its outer, semi-permeable membrane. This is due to a process called osmosis.

When the egg was dipped in the corn syrup, the naked egg shriveled and decreased in size. This is again caused by osmosis, but in the reverse direction. The egg shrunk in size since there is a lower concentration in the water than in the corn syrup. This causes more water to move out of the egg, into the corn syrup through the semi-permeable membrane.

When the egg is placed in the water containing the colouring dye, the coloured water enters the egg, causing the egg to expand and colouring the egg. (same as with vinegar). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrON0nEEWmo

Egg placed in vinegar (hypotonic solution)

The egg shell dissolves in the vinegar. This occurs since the egg shell is made of the compound calcium carbonate (base) which reacts with the acetic acid found in vinegar. The equation for the acid-base reaction is shown below :

CaCO3 (s) + CH3COOH(l) Ca(CH3COO)2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)

CaCO3 = calcium carbonate (eggshell) CH3COOH = acetic acid (vinegar), pH Ca(CH3COO)2= calcium acetate H2O = water CO2 = carbon dioxide

The production of carbon dioxide gas during this reaction is what causes the egg to float in the solution. The removal of the shell exposes the cell membrane. This membrane acts as a semi-permeable membrane, since it allows some particles to pass through depending on their size. In this case the particles which can pass through the membrane are water molecules.

The movement of molecules in a medium is totally random, however in diffusion (and osmosis) there is generally an overall movement of the number of molecules, we call this net movement. In what direction this net movement occurs depends on the relative concentration of the two solutions. With more water molecules moving from areas with a lower concentration of solute molecules (dissolved molecules) to areas with higher concentration, than in the reverse direction. The difference between these concentrations is called a concentration gradient. This is a passive process that does not require any energy, osmosis will happen until the concentration gradients are equal, and there is no net movement of molecules.

However, why does water move from a solution of high solute concentration to a solute of lower concentration? The answer is simple, by chance. Suppose, there is a solution having a high salt concentration and a solution with low salt concentration, divided by a semi-permeable membrane. Since the water molecules are not stationary but are in constant movement, they can migrate from one solution to the other after passing through the pores of the semi-permeable membrane. The solution with a higher solute concentration, has a greater number of salt molecules relative to the low solute concentration solution. These salt molecules are larger than the pores present in this semi-permeable membrane so they cannot pass through. However, they can interfere with the movement of the water molecules between the membranes. The greater the number of salt molecules, the lower the chance of the water molecules moving to the other side of the membrane. Hence, water molecules found in the solution of a lower salt concentration, have less resistance in flowing through to the other side of the membrane. This causes a net flow of water from the area with a low salt concentration to an area of high salt concentration, and this is what is known as osmosis.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2002-02/1014825690.Cb.r.html https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/membranes-and-transport/diffusion-and-osmosis/v/osmosis

Egg placed in the corn syrup (hypertonic solution)

The corn syrup contains an overall lower concentration of water molecules compared to the inside of the egg. Therefore, there is a resultant net movement of water from the inside of the egg to the corn syrup solution until an equilibrium is reached with the sugar molecules outside of the egg.

Egg placed in the water containing the food colouring

The egg swelled when placed in the water. Since water molecules moved in the egg, the egg therefore takes up the colour of the food colouring. This proves that water is in fact moving in to the egg and is the cause of the swelling. The food colouring is also allowed through the semi-permeable membrane.

Applications The phenomena of osmosis is utilized for spaceflight applications to produce safe drinking water whilst in space. They use what is known as a Forward Osmosis Bag to turn the dirty water present into purified water using sugar and a semi-permeable membrane. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/846.html

Another interesting use of osmosis is for the generation of clean energy. This time a salinity gradient is used for the generation of electrical energy. The difference in pressure across the semi-permeable membrane allows for the generation of electrical energy. http://dc.engconfintl.org/membrane_technology_vii/27/

Research A very common use of osmosis is for seawater desalination. These use the concept of reverse osmosis to purify water which is very useful for islands since they are surrounded by seawater as in the case of the island, Malta. It must be noted that osmosis occurs naturally, however, reverse osmosis requires a high pressure to push water from a high salt concentration to a low concentration. http://puretecwater.com/reverse-osmosis/what-is-reverse-osmosis

• Try experimenting with different liquids present in the kitchen and observe their effects on the egg.
• Use different sodium chloride concentrations such as 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%…100%. Use a weighing balance to weigh the egg before placing in the saline solution and after. When there is no change in mass, then the solution is isotonic that is the concentration of solutes inside the egg is equal to the concentration of solutes outside the egg.
• Try varying the temperatures, to see if temperature has an effect on rate of osmosis. Be careful not to cook the egg though!

Preparation: 72-96 hours

Conducting: 30 minutes

Clean Up: 5 minutes

Number of People

1 participant

Egg Vinegar Corn Syrup Container Spoon Food Colouring Apron Gloves

Contributors

Investigating osmosis in chicken eggs

Science fair ptoject-osmosis in eggs

Naked Eggs:Osmosis

Osmosis with an egg

The Sci Guys: Science at Home – SE1 – EP14: The Naked Egg and Osmosis

Egg Osmosis Hypertonic vs hypertonic solutions)

In da club- membranes and transport

Experiments with Eggs -TRAFFIC LIGHT Color Eggs

Additional Content

Blue Energy (Beginner)

Where is reverse osmosis used?  (Advanced)

Cite this Experiment

Aquilina, M. C., & Styles, C. (2019, October 30). Investigating Osmosis in Chicken Eggs. Retrieved from http://steamexperiments.com/experiment/investigating-osmosis-in-chicken-eggs/

First published: October 30, 2019 Last modified: November 6, 2019

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BIOLOGY JUNCTION

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Egg Osmosis Sample 2 lab

Introduction: Transport can be either passive or active. Passive transport is the movement of substances across the membrane without any input of energy by the cell. Active transport is the movement of materials where a cell is required to expend energy. In the case of this lab the discussion will be centered on passive transport. The simplest type of passive transport is diffusion . Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of higher to an area of lower concentration without any energy input. Diffusion is driven by the kinetic energy found in the molecules. Diffusion will eventually cause the concentration of molecules to be the same throughout the space the molecules occupy, causing a state of equilibrium to exist. Another type of passive transport is that of osmosis . Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane. The process by which osmosis occurs is when water molecules diffuse across a cell membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. The direction of osmosis depends on the relative concentration of the solutes on the two sides. In osmosis, water can travel in three different ways. If the molecules outside the cell are lower than the concentration in the cytosol, the solution is said to be hypotonic to the cytosol, in this process, water diffuses into the cell until equilibrium is established. If the molecules outside the cell are higher than the concentration in the cytosol, the solution is said to be hypertonic to the cytosol, in this process, water diffuses out of the cell until equilibrium exists. If the molecules outside and inside the cell are equal, the solution is said to be isotonic to the cytosol, in this process, water diffuses into and out of the cell at equal rates, causing no net movement of water. In osmosis the cell is selectively permeable , meaning that it only allows certain substances to be transferred into and out of the cell. In osmosis, the proteins only on the surface are called peripheral proteins, which form carbohydrate chains whose purpose is used like antennae for communication. Embedded in the peripheral proteins are integral proteins that can either be solid or have a pore called channel proteins . Channel proteins allow glucose, or food that all living things need to live, pass through.

Hypothesis: In the syrup solution, there will be a net movement of molecules out of the egg, and in the water solution, the molecules will diffuse in and out of the cell at equal rates.

Materials: The materials used in this lab were 2 fresh eggs in the shell, an overhead marker, 400 ml of water, graduated cylinder, 1 large beaker, 2 medium beakers, 1 small beaker, white vinegar, Karo syrup, distilled water, pencil, paper, lab apron, lab goggles, saran wrap, masking tape, plastic tray, tongs, electronic balance, osmosis lab sheet, and computer.

Methods: On day 1 , measure the masses of both the eggs with the shell. Label 1 beaker vinegar , and then use the graduated cylinder to measure 400 mL of vinegar to put in the labeled beaker. Place both eggs in the solution (place a small beaker on top of the eggs, if necessary) then cover. Let the eggs stand for 24 hours or more to remove the shell.

On day 2 , record the observations of what happened to the eggs in the vinegar solution. Carefully, remove the eggs from the vinegar, gently rinsing the eggs off in water. Clean the beakers used for the vinegar solution preparing them for the syrup solution, and then label the 2 medium beakers syrup. Before the eggs are placed in the syrup solution record the mass of both eggs then put it on the datasheet. After that has been done, place the eggs in the beaker, pouring enough syrup to cover the eggs, cover them loosely and let them stand for 24 hours.

On day 3 , record the observations of the egg from the syrup solution. Carefully, remove the eggs from the beakers, gently rinsing the syrup off of the eggs. Pour the remaining syrup in the container provided by the teacher. Clean the two beakers used in the syrup solution, preparing them for the water solution. Before the eggs are placed in the water solution record the mass of both eggs then put it on the datasheet. After that has been done, using a graduated cylinder, measure out 200 mL of water for each beaker. Place the eggs in the water solution, cover and let stand 24 hours.

On day 4 , record the observations of the egg from the water solution. Carefully remove the eggs from the beakers, gently rinsing them off. Mass both of the eggs. After the teacher has came and looked at the eggs, discard in the proper place.

Table 1- Egg 1 Data

Table 2- Egg 2 Data

1. When the egg was placed in the water in which direction did the water molecules move?     The water molecules moved in the egg.

2. On what evidence do you base this? The molecules moved in, because the size of the egg increased

3. How do you explain the volume of liquid remaining when the egg was removed from the syrup? Since, the cell is selectively permeable, it only allowed a certain amount of the syrup to be present in the cell, just enough to shrink it and also equilibrium was reached..

4. When the egg was placed in the water after being removed from the syrup in which direction did the water move? The water moved in.

5. Why did the water molecules travel better inside the cell than the syrup molecules? The water molecules traveled better into the cell because smaller molecules travel better than other larger molecules.

6. What was the purpose of placing the egg in vinegar? The  vinegar solution was only used to remove the shell off the egg.

Error Analysis: A possible error in this lab occurred by having to leave the egg in vinegar for two days instead of one to remove the shell. This caused the egg to initially take in more water.

Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the data collected and the results of the experiment, the hypothesis was  correct. The egg appeared shriveled after removing it from the syrup because of the movement of water out of the egg. The syrup solution was hypertonic so water moved out of the egg from an area where water was more concentrated to the outside of the egg where water was less concentrated due to the high amount of sugar or solute. The acetic acid in vinegar did remove the shell from the egg, because the egg required two days to completely remove the shell, some water did move into the egg causing its initial mass without the shell to be higher than the egg’s mass with its shell. Whenever the egg was transferred from the syrup to the distilled water, the concentration of water outside the shriveled egg was greater than the water concentration inside the egg; therefore, water moved into the egg until equilibrium was reached. At that point, movement into and out of the egg continued with no net movement of water molecules. Additional research  to see if the egg would have went through cytolysis in another 24 or more hours in the water solution would have been interesting.

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By observing what happens to an egg when it is placed in four different solutions, students see osmosis take place right before their eyes.

This printable education experiment contains a detailed teachers' guide and single-page student worksheet for printing and distributing in the classroom.

This activity in its existing format is appropriate for ages 10-18.

Physical science, life science/biology.

• 1.To demonstrate the osmosis process
• 2. To demonstrate changes in properties of matter.
• 3. To expose students to common measuring instruments used in the lab.

EGG OBSERVATIONS - An Osmosis Eggsperiment (PDF)

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Experiments on Osmosis (With Diagram)

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The below mentioned article includes a list of four simple experiments on osmosis.

1. Experiment to demonstrate the osmosis by using sheet of cellophane or goat bladder:

Requirements:

Beaker, thistle funnel, goat bladder or sheet of cellophane, thread, water and sugar solution.

1. Cover the lower opening of the glass tube with the goat bladder or sheet of cellophane and tie it with the thread.

2. Fill in the interior of the tube with molasses, a concentrated sugar solution in water.

3. Place the whole apparatus in a beaker containing water, preferably distilled water.

4. Note the level of the water in the thistle funnel and keep the apparatus to note the results.

Observations:

Level of the water in the thistle funnel increases (Fig.2).

1. Movement of water through the goat bladder or cellophane sheet into the thistle funnel takes place.

2. Water concentration in beaker is 100% while in the sugar solution it is less than this, and, therefore, the water from the region of higher concentration moves towards the region of lower concentration. The movement is through a semipermeable membrane and so the experiment shows the phenomenon of osmosis.

3. The force, with which the solution level in the tube increases, arises from the pressure exerted by the diffusion of water molecules into the tube. This pressure is called osmotic pressure.

4. Stability of the water level in the funnel indicates that water concentration in both the beakers as well as funnel is same and thus osmosis stops.

2. Experiment to demonstrate osmosis with the help of potato osmometer:

Petri-dish, water, potato, sugar solution, cork and capillary tube.

1. Take a potato tuber, remove its outer covering from one end and cut the same end flat.

2. Scoop out a cavity from the other end of the tuber running almost upto the bottom.

3. Fill the cavity with the sugar solution and fit an airtight cork fitted with a capillary tube on the upper end of the cavity (fig. 3).

4. Place the capillary- fitted potato tuber in the water- filled petri-dish.

5. Mark the solution level in the tube and watch the experiment for some time.

After some time the level of the solution in the tube increases. Mark the level of solution when it stops to move.

The level in the capillary tube increases because of the fact that osmotic pressure of the sugar solution is higher than that of the water, and the water moves through the semipermeable membrane of potato from petri-dish into the cavity. So the experiment shows that phenomenon of osmosis.

3. Experiment to demonstrate the osmosis by the egg osmometer:

Egg membrane, dilute HCI, water through, graduated tube, sugar solution and stand.

1. Prepare an egg membrane by carefully removing waterproof shell of egg with the help of dissolving it away in dilute HCI.

2. Remove all the fat and protein-containing yellow material of the egg by making a hole on its one end.

3. Fill the sugar solution in the egg membrane through the hole and fit a graduated tube in the hole.

4. Place the complete apparatus in a water-filled trough (Fig. 4).

5. Note the level of sugar solution in the graduated tube and keep the apparatus undisturbed for some time.

Level of the sugar solution increases in the tube.

The level in the tube increases because of the fact that osmotic pressure of the sugar solution in the egg membrane is higher than that of water, and so the water from the trough passes through the egg membrane into the sugar solution thus increasing its level. Egg membrane is a semipermeable membrane.

4. Experiment to demonstrate the phenomenon of exosmosis and endosmosis:

Potato tubers (2), knife, conc. sugar solution, water, pin, beakers (2).

1. Remove the outer skin of the tubers and cut their one end flat with a sharp knife.

2. Scoop out a cavity from the other end of the tuber running almost upto the bottom as in experiment No. 14.

3. Fill the concentrated solution of sugar in the cavity of one tuber, and water in the other.

4. Mark the level of the sugar solution and water in the cavities with the help of pins.

5. Place the potato containing sugar solution in a beaker containing water, and the another potato containing water in its cavity in the beaker containing sugar solution (Fig. 5).

6. Keep and observe experiment for some time.

The level in the cavity containing sugar solution increases while the level decreases in the another tuber, i.e., in the cavity filled with water.

The level of the sugar solution in the first tuber increases because of the fact that water moves from the beaker into the cavity through the semipermeable membrane of potato. Thus it shows the phenomenon of endosmosis.

The level of the water in the second tuber decreases because of the fact that water moves from the cavity into the beaker through the semipermeable membrane of potato tuber. Thus it shows the phenomenon of exosmosis.

Related Articles:

• Experiment on Osmosis in Potatoes | Botany
• Top 6 Experiments on Osmosis (With Diagram)

Experiment , Chemistry , Osmosis , Experiments on Osmosis

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