Gummy Bear Osmosis

This experiment demonstrates osmosis using gummy bears placed in different solutions such as water, salt water, sugar water, and baking soda water. Over 48 hours, students observe how water moves into or out of the gummy bears, changing their size and shape depending on the solution.

1. Label several glass containers with the names of the solutions (e.g., water, salt water, sugar water, baking soda water, milk, soda, and vinegar).
2. Pour ½ cup of plain water into the container labeled “water.”
3. Prepare other solutions by dissolving 1 tablespoon of the appropriate substance (salt, sugar, or baking soda) into ½ cup of water. Stir until completely dissolved.
4. Measure the initial length, width, height, and mass of one gummy bear for each container. Record these values.
5. Place one gummy bear into each container.
6. Record the starting time and leave the containers undisturbed.
7. After 12 hours, remove each gummy bear, observe changes, and record measurements. Return them to their respective solutions.
8. Repeat observations and measurements after 24 hours and again after 48 hours.
9. Compare the final sizes and weights to the starting values and discuss which solutions caused the gummy bears to expand, shrink, or dissolve.

Science Is Everywhere: Monster Gummy Bears — Osmosis - Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose:

📄 Gummy Bear Osmosis - How To Homeschool: https://www.howtohomeschool.com/free-homeschooling/gummy-bear-osmosis

• Use distilled water instead of tap water to compare effects of water purity.
• Try solutions with different solute concentrations (e.g., ½ tablespoon vs. 2 tablespoons of salt).
• Add colored gummy bears to see if color affects osmosis rates.
• Extend the experiment to 72 hours (if the bears remain intact).

• Do not eat the gummy bears after soaking them in the solutions.

• What is osmosis? (The movement of water molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.)
• Why did the gummy bears in plain water increase in size? (Water moved into the gummy bears because there was a higher concentration of water outside than inside the gelatin structure.)
• Why did the gummy bears in salt water shrink or stay smaller? (The salt water had a lower water concentration, causing water to move out of the gummy bear.)
• What evidence suggests that osmosis occurred? (The changes in gummy bear size and mass after soaking in the different solutions.)
• Why don’t gummy bears dissolve in water like other candies? (They contain gelatin, which forms a semi-permeable network that allows water in but prevents sugars from diffusing out easily.)