How to Understand Osmosis with Eggs
Weigh the eggs., Fill a cup with white vinegar., Submerge the eggs., Soak the eggs., Remove and rinse the eggs., Record the weights of both eggs., Notice the differences between the eggs before and after the experiment., Submerge one of the naked...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Weigh the eggs.
Before you begin this experiment, individually weigh each raw egg on a kitchen scale.
To keep the eggs from sliding off of the scale, you may wish to place the eggs in a small bowl as you weigh them.
Be sure to measure the weight of the bowl beforehand.
When you weigh the egg in the bowl, subtract the weight of the bowl from the total.
You will be left with the weight of your egg.
This number will be important as you compare other data that you will collect throughout the project. -
Step 2: Fill a cup with white vinegar.
Carefully pour the vinegar into a cup.
Do not fill it to the brim—you do not want it to overflow when the eggs are placed in the cup.
The vinegar is key to dissolving the eggs’ shells.
The acid in the vinegar reacts with the calcium in the shells., Gently lower the eggs into the cup of vinegar using your hand or a spoon.
The eggs should be submerged, but it is all right if they float as long as there is enough vinegar to cover the surface of the eggs.Place the cup in a safe place where it will not get knocked over. , The eggs should soak in the vinegar for at least 24 hours.
Once the shells dissolve, the eggs will be naked, encased only by the thin membrane.
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.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., After 24 hours, the egg shell should be completely dissolved.
Gently and slowly pour the vinegar into the sink, letting it strain through your fingers.
This will ensure that you can catch the eggs in your hand.
Rinse the eggs under slow, running water to remove any film on the outside of the egg.
If you use a spoon to remove the eggs, you may risk breaking or damaging the eggs., Using a digital kitchen scale, weigh each egg individually.
To keep the egg from sliding off of the flat surface, place the egg in the same small bowl you used to weigh the eggs before the experiment.
Subtract the weight of the bowl from the total.
Record the weight of each egg in a notebook or on your computer. , With the egg shell gone, the egg’s membrane allowed some of the vinegar and the water from the vinegar to pass into the egg.
This movement of water through a semi-permeable layer is the osmosis process.
The eggs should be noticeably larger than when you started the experiment. , Fill a clean cup with enough water to submerge only one of the naked eggs.
Place the cup in a safe place where it will not be disturbed. , The egg should remain in the water for 24 hours.
The water molecules will move into the egg in time.
That is because the egg has less water concentration that the water itself., Pour the water from the cup into the sink, again using your hands to gently catch the egg as it pours out with the water.
Being careful not the break the egg, clean the egg’s surface under running water. , Use your scale to measure the naked egg again.
Notice that the egg has expanded its size and weighs more than it did at the beginning of the experiment.
The process of osmosis worked to equalize the amount of water inside and outside the egg. , Gently lower the other naked egg into the corn syrup.
The egg will try to float to the top.
Gently place a spoon on the top of the egg to keep it submerged for at least 24 hours.
The spoon can left there to keep the egg submerged.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. , Slowly pour the syrup into the kitchen sink and gently allow the egg to land on the palm of your hand.
Gently rinse the egg under running water to remove any corn syrup on its surface. , Weigh the shrunken egg and record the data.
The sugar molecules in the syrup were too big to pass through the egg’s membrane, but the water molecules within the egg were able to pass outside the egg with ease.
The water continued to move outside of the egg until the density of the corn syrup and the density of the egg were equal, which caused the egg to shrink! This is another great example of osmosis that created a different result., During an experiment, it may be easy to forget what solution your egg has been placed in.
To avoid any potential errors or miscommunications, label each container before placing the egg inside.
This way you can double-check and make sure you placed the egg in the correct solution. , Recording your data is an important part in any science experiment.
Using detailed descriptions and measurements allows you to study the changes that the egg undergoes during an osmosis experiment.
Be sure to keep track of the weight of the eggs during each step of the experiment.
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.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. , After you have collected all of your data, review it and make note of any interesting, extreme, or unexpected changes.
Ask yourself why these changes may have occurred, and note if there is any outside variable that may have interfered or influenced the data in some way.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. , After reviewing your data, summarize what the data has demonstrated.
Did the size and weight of the egg prove that the water molecules were released in the corn syrup? Did the egg’s expansion in the water show that osmosis occurred through the egg’s membrane? Ask yourself what the information is telling you, and use your data to support your conclusion. , Be sure to thoroughly wash your cups and wipe down the counters, your tape measure, your kitchen scale, and the small bowl after completing your experiment.
The eggs can be discarded in the trash. -
Step 3: Submerge the eggs.
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Step 4: Soak the eggs.
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Step 5: Remove and rinse the eggs.
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Step 6: Record the weights of both eggs.
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Step 7: Notice the differences between the eggs before and after the experiment.
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Step 8: Submerge one of the naked eggs in water.
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Step 9: Let the egg soak.
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Step 10: Remove the egg.
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Step 11: Observe the differences.
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Step 12: Fill a cup with corn syrup.
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Step 13: Take the egg out of the syrup.
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Step 14: Notice that the egg got smaller.
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Step 15: Label your containers.
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Step 16: Recording your data.
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Step 17: Make observations.
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Step 18: Summarize your conclusion.
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Step 19: Clean up.
Detailed Guide
Before you begin this experiment, individually weigh each raw egg on a kitchen scale.
To keep the eggs from sliding off of the scale, you may wish to place the eggs in a small bowl as you weigh them.
Be sure to measure the weight of the bowl beforehand.
When you weigh the egg in the bowl, subtract the weight of the bowl from the total.
You will be left with the weight of your egg.
This number will be important as you compare other data that you will collect throughout the project.
Carefully pour the vinegar into a cup.
Do not fill it to the brim—you do not want it to overflow when the eggs are placed in the cup.
The vinegar is key to dissolving the eggs’ shells.
The acid in the vinegar reacts with the calcium in the shells., Gently lower the eggs into the cup of vinegar using your hand or a spoon.
The eggs should be submerged, but it is all right if they float as long as there is enough vinegar to cover the surface of the eggs.Place the cup in a safe place where it will not get knocked over. , The eggs should soak in the vinegar for at least 24 hours.
Once the shells dissolve, the eggs will be naked, encased only by the thin membrane.
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.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., After 24 hours, the egg shell should be completely dissolved.
Gently and slowly pour the vinegar into the sink, letting it strain through your fingers.
This will ensure that you can catch the eggs in your hand.
Rinse the eggs under slow, running water to remove any film on the outside of the egg.
If you use a spoon to remove the eggs, you may risk breaking or damaging the eggs., Using a digital kitchen scale, weigh each egg individually.
To keep the egg from sliding off of the flat surface, place the egg in the same small bowl you used to weigh the eggs before the experiment.
Subtract the weight of the bowl from the total.
Record the weight of each egg in a notebook or on your computer. , With the egg shell gone, the egg’s membrane allowed some of the vinegar and the water from the vinegar to pass into the egg.
This movement of water through a semi-permeable layer is the osmosis process.
The eggs should be noticeably larger than when you started the experiment. , Fill a clean cup with enough water to submerge only one of the naked eggs.
Place the cup in a safe place where it will not be disturbed. , The egg should remain in the water for 24 hours.
The water molecules will move into the egg in time.
That is because the egg has less water concentration that the water itself., Pour the water from the cup into the sink, again using your hands to gently catch the egg as it pours out with the water.
Being careful not the break the egg, clean the egg’s surface under running water. , Use your scale to measure the naked egg again.
Notice that the egg has expanded its size and weighs more than it did at the beginning of the experiment.
The process of osmosis worked to equalize the amount of water inside and outside the egg. , Gently lower the other naked egg into the corn syrup.
The egg will try to float to the top.
Gently place a spoon on the top of the egg to keep it submerged for at least 24 hours.
The spoon can left there to keep the egg submerged.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. , Slowly pour the syrup into the kitchen sink and gently allow the egg to land on the palm of your hand.
Gently rinse the egg under running water to remove any corn syrup on its surface. , Weigh the shrunken egg and record the data.
The sugar molecules in the syrup were too big to pass through the egg’s membrane, but the water molecules within the egg were able to pass outside the egg with ease.
The water continued to move outside of the egg until the density of the corn syrup and the density of the egg were equal, which caused the egg to shrink! This is another great example of osmosis that created a different result., During an experiment, it may be easy to forget what solution your egg has been placed in.
To avoid any potential errors or miscommunications, label each container before placing the egg inside.
This way you can double-check and make sure you placed the egg in the correct solution. , Recording your data is an important part in any science experiment.
Using detailed descriptions and measurements allows you to study the changes that the egg undergoes during an osmosis experiment.
Be sure to keep track of the weight of the eggs during each step of the experiment.
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.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. , After you have collected all of your data, review it and make note of any interesting, extreme, or unexpected changes.
Ask yourself why these changes may have occurred, and note if there is any outside variable that may have interfered or influenced the data in some way.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. , After reviewing your data, summarize what the data has demonstrated.
Did the size and weight of the egg prove that the water molecules were released in the corn syrup? Did the egg’s expansion in the water show that osmosis occurred through the egg’s membrane? Ask yourself what the information is telling you, and use your data to support your conclusion. , Be sure to thoroughly wash your cups and wipe down the counters, your tape measure, your kitchen scale, and the small bowl after completing your experiment.
The eggs can be discarded in the trash.
About the Author
Daniel Chavez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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