Egg Osmosis Lab Report

Osmosis Lab Report

Introduction: The investigation that I took part in this marking period was titled “An Egg-citing Activity”. In this experiment, I further explored the contents and aspects of osmosis. I also looked more closely at the differences and similarities between osmosis and diffusion. The purpose of the investigation was to examine a raw egg, classified as a large cell, after it had been placed in vinegar for two days and then put in different liquids. To put this into real life terms, the question that was used for this experiment was, how do drinks that we consume affect the cells in our body?

Osmosis and Diffusion: Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules from a higher concentrated area of water to a lower concentrated

The first similarity is that both involve movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. This is to create the equal state and to even out the solute concentration in the area that doesn’t have as many water molecules. Secondly, both osmosis and diffusion are passive transports, meaning that they do not require energy. They happen naturally. The first difference between osmosis and diffusion is that osmosis is purely directed to the movement of water molecules, while diffusion can be directed toward the movement of any molecule or substance. The second difference is that osmosis requires the molecules to pass through a semipermeable membrane, while diffusion does not require the molecule to pass through

The egg had been acting as the cell in this experiment. Placing the egg in vinegar made it easier to see the effects of osmosis because there was no impermeable shell to prevent liquids or molecules from passing through. As previously stated, water molecules will diffuse from higher concentrated areas of water to lower concentrated areas of water. In the tap water example, there had been a higher concentration of water molecules in the water, not the egg. This means that the water molecules will pass through the cell membrane to enter the egg and reach a state of equilibrium. This is why there would be less water in the cup, and the egg would be larger. The water molecules are leaving the water, yet entering the egg. In the Coca- Cola example, there had been a higher concentration of water molecules in the egg, and a higher sugar concentration in the soda. This means that to try and reach the state of equilibrium, the water molecules would have to diffuse from the egg and enter to the soda, creating the new mix of soda and water. This is why the egg was smaller than its original look, and the their was more water and soda in the cup. The water molecules are leaving the egg, yet entering the