Question

Biology students used raw eggs in an experiment on tonicity and osmosis. The students put their eggs into vinegar to remove the shells. The vinegar was used to remove the shell form the raw egg. What other effect(s) did the vinegar have on the egg? A) The vinegar solution was hypotonic, causing the egg to gain mass. B) The vinegar solution was hypotonic, causing the egg to lose mass. C) The vinegar solution was hypertonic, causing the egg to gain mass. D) The vinegar solution was isotonic to the egg so the mass remained constant.

Answer 1

The vinegar solution was hypotonic causing the egg to gain mass

Answer 2

The correct answer is option A, that is, the vinegar solution was hypotonic, causing the egg to gain mass.

A hypotonic solution refers to any kind of solution, which exhibits a lower osmotic pressure than another solution. In biology terms, this usually means a solution that exhibits less solute and more water in comparison to another solution.  

In the given case, the egg is placed in vinegar (a hypotonic solution), thus water will get inside the egg making the egg to gain mass.