Egg Osmosis: A four day eggsperience!

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Eggs are placed in vinegar for one or two days to dissolve the shells. Then, learners place the eggs in water or corn syrup and observe them over a period of days. Through the process of osmosis, water passes through the egg membrane to make the egg swell (in the water) or make the egg shrink (in the corn syrup). This activity, located on page 2 of the PDF, is a take-home version of the display of the same name in the Biochemistry unit in OMSI's Chemistry Lab. Also included on the PDF are two additional activities: Yeast Balloons and Cabbage Juice Indicator.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 7 days
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 2 raw eggs in their shells
  • vinegar
  • corn syrup
  • water
  • two wide-mouthed jars, deep enough to submerge the eggs

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Chemistry of Life
      • Solutions

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation