Osmosis attempt with an egg

Osmosis clearly explained - experiment with an egg

1. For the osmosis experiment with one egg, two raw chicken eggs are first placed in a very narrow glass filled with household vinegar. Only half of the eggs should be covered with vinegar. The other half is rubbed with petroleum jelly for protection.
2. Now the peeling process of the peel can be observed, which is carried out with the help of the vinegar. The shell is decomposed with the formation of gas.
3. After the shell has broken down, one of the eggs is placed in demineralized water while the other egg is bathed in a concentrated saline solution.
4. The next day there are clear changes in the eggs; the exposed half of the egg lying in the demineralized water appears puffed up, while the other half appears to have thinned.

Osmosis attempt - background

• The osmosis experiment with the egg can easily be explained.


Cherries in the water burst - what is the cause?

Have you ever noticed that cherries pop if left for a long time ...

• The eggs are surrounded by a thin skin that acts as a barrier. Sugar and proteins, which are vital substances for the egg, cannot pass through this skin, but water and air can diffuse.
• The water strives to flow where there are dissolved substances in high concentration, which it can dilute.
• The water contained in the egg therefore flows in the direction of the highly concentrated hydrochloric acid, because the concentration of dissolved substances there is higher than inside the egg. Due to the loss of water, the egg collapses a little.
• Demineralized water no longer contains any dissolved substances. Because of this, the liquid flows into the egg in question. This builds up pressure that causes the egg to expand; this is known as osmotic pressure.