An exemplification of how osmosis works, using distilled water, corn syrup and an egg

Egg Lab Write-Up

Abstract

Eggs provide us with a good demonstration of diffusion of the solutes within cells. Materials include an egg, vinegar, corn syrup, distilled water, an electronic balance, a weighing boat, and a cup. The reader will find that the egg becomes smaller after being soaked in corn syrup and it becomes larger after being soaked in distilled water. This concludes that corn syrup has more solutes while the water has less solutes.

Introduction

When a cell is surrounded by a substance with a higher concentration of solutes, the cell will swell.

That is called hypotonic. However, when a cell is surrounded by a substance with a lower concentration of solutes, the cell will shrivel up. That is called hypotonic. This is all due to a scientific process called osmosis. Osmosis is a process where solvent molecules will pass through a semipermeable membrane. The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the way osmosis works.

Methods and Materials

One will gather the materials that were listed above and begin your experiment.

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The egg should be carefully placed into the cup which one will then pour vinegar into. Let the cup sit for a day then drain the vinegar down the sink so only the decalcified egg remains. Be careful to not break the egg as it is moved on the weighing boat; one can now measure the egg’s weight in grams using the electronic balance. After the egg is weighed and recorded, it should be placed back into the cup where it can be dispersed corn syrup.

Upon waiting another day, the corn syrup should also be drained and the egg should be weighed again; emit the distilled water into the cup and allow the egg to soak for another day. On the third day, the egg is to be weighed again one last time and then thrown in the trash.

Results

The experiment has now found the weight of the egg after it was placed in all of the solutions. One should find that the corn syrup makes the egg appear smaller while the distilled water makes the egg appear larger. The weight should be less while in the corn syrup and more while in the distilled water.

Conclusion

In conclusion, one now knows that corn syrup has higher concentration and distilled water has a lower concentration, The corn syrup was hypertonic to the egg so it squeezed all the water out from the egg. The distilled water was hypotonic to the egg so it filled the egg up more with water. Error could have occurred when weighing the egg or not being careful with it. This experiment could be altered with different kinds of syrup or water.