4 M Egg Osmosis
As discussed in the intro, the purpose of this lab is to observe principles of homeostasis and osmosis in action. The results of this experiment showed that eggs placed in a 4 M sucrose solution lost mass over time and had the greatest percent difference in mass compared to the eggs in other solutions, with the 4 M egg having an average of -25.13% difference in mass. The 0.0 M solution egg only had a 12.28 average percent difference in mass, the 0.5 M egg with 10.39%, and the 1 M egg with the least percent difference in mass, 6.40%. The 0.0, 0.5, and 1 eggs all ended up gaining mass over time whereas the 4 M egg was the only one to drastically lose mass. This occurred because of the levels of concentration of solute in the different solutions. Since the 4 M solution had the highest concentration of solute, compared to the other three solutions tested, and a higher concentration of solute than that of the solution inside the egg, it was a hypertonic solution.
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So, since the egg was hypotonic and had a higher concentration of water, it diffused over the cell membrane to the outside solution where there was a lower concentration of water. It does because it wants to reach equilibrium, or become isotonic. This process of water diffusing out of the cell across the cell membrane made the egg lose mass and shrink. This is called plasmolysis, when the cells start to shrink due to water loss. The fact that the 4 M egg lost the greatest percent difference in mass proves that our hypothesis was correct because we thought the 4.0 M egg would show the most extreme loss in mass because the high amount of solute in the solution would make it hypertonic, forcing the water to move out of the cell and lose
So, since the egg was hypotonic and had a higher concentration of water, it diffused over the cell membrane to the outside solution where there was a lower concentration of water. It does because it wants to reach equilibrium, or become isotonic. This process of water diffusing out of the cell across the cell membrane made the egg lose mass and shrink. This is called plasmolysis, when the cells start to shrink due to water loss. The fact that the 4 M egg lost the greatest percent difference in mass proves that our hypothesis was correct because we thought the 4.0 M egg would show the most extreme loss in mass because the high amount of solute in the solution would make it hypertonic, forcing the water to move out of the cell and lose