It is difficult to see osmosis occurring in cells because of the small size of the cell. However, there are a few cells that can be seen without the aid of a microscope. Try this activity to see how osmosis occurs in a large cell.
Problem: How does osmosis occur in an egg cell?
Materials
Day 1
____ Place the egg into the 500 ml beaker. Pour 250 ml of vinegar over the egg. Cover the beaker
____ After 30 minutes, record your observations in the data table
____ Let stand for two days
Day 2
____ Record the appearance of the egg in the data table.
____ Carefully pour the vinegar into a graduated cylinder, record the amount you now have in the data table.
____ Rinse the egg off and pour 250 ml of the corn syrup over the egg and cover. Let stand for two days.
Day 5
____ Record the appearance of the egg in the data table.
____ Carefully pour the corn syrup into a graduated cylinder. Record the amount in the data table.
____ Rinse off the egg and pour 250 ml of water over the egg. Cover and let stand for two days.
Day 7
____ Record the appearance of the egg in the data table
____ Carefully pour the water into a graduated cylinder and record the amount in the data table.
____ Dispose of your egg.
Data Table
Record the amout of liquid in the beaker in ml | Observations | |
Day 1 | ||
Day 3 | ||
Day 5 | ||
Day 7 |