5. If you were to continue this experiment by removing the egg from the water and covering it in syrup, what do you think would happen. Explain your prediction. (NOTE the egg had had its shell desolved and had been sitting in water for 72 hour and expanded.) I am just stumped

Question

5.	If you were to continue this experiment by removing the egg from the water and covering it in syrup, what do you think would happen. Explain your prediction. (NOTE the egg had had its shell desolved and had been sitting in water for 72 hour and expanded.) I am just stumped

anonymous · Answer

@thomaster Since syrup is hydropholic, I was thinking the syrup would be attracted to the lower concentration of water but then I get confused because the membrane may block syrup?

thomaster · Answer

You didn't give any information about the experiment... How are we supposed to help you with this? Also, what do you mean with "desolved"?

anonymous · Answer

The egg was placed in vinegar for 24 hour to take away the shell. It was then placed in water for 72 hours. Over these three days the egg expanded. This is obviously because of osmosis. Then the lab report asked me this: If you were to continue this experiment by removing the egg from the water and covering it in syrup, what do you think would happen. Explain your prediction.  I am getting a little confused when I start to think about it.... @thomaster

thomaster · Answer

It doesn't have anything to do with the syrup being hydrophobic.
Syrup is a concentrated sugar solution.
The concentration sugar in the egg is lower than the concentration sugar in the syrup. So water will go through the membrane to the syrup. This means the egg will shrivel.

thomaster · Answer

This article explains it (with images) http://aitc.oregonstate.edu/teachers/pdf/handson/egg_experiment.pdf

anonymous · Answer

Ok thanks all i needed was the sugar concentration part.

anonymous · Answer

Its actually because the water contravention is lower for anyone that reads this later

thomaster · Answer

Same thing, but it happens because there are more sugar molecules outside the egg than inside the egg. so the water moves to fix that concentration difference.

thomaster · Answer

Or you could see it as the concentration water in the egg is higher than the concentration water in the syrup.

anonymous · Answer

Yes! that makes so much more sense now! Thanks for you help and the article link! @thomaster