To store strawberries in sugar syrup, Lucy placed them in a jar and covered them with sugar but did not add any water. Do you think syrup will be formed? Justify.

The answer is YES. This is how it works.

Osmosis is a type of diffusion, where liquid of a high concentration moves to a region of lower concentration if the two are separated by a semi-permeable membrane.

In strawberries, the outer membrane of the fruit serves as the semi-permeable layer between the fruit's interior and exterior. On the interior, the strawberries' water is already mixed with natural sugars. Added sugar on the outside of the strawberry absorbs water on the exterior, changing the concentration of water on the exterior compared to the interior. The water on the surface of the strawberry is less concentrated with water molecules than the liquid in the interior. As such, the laws of osmosis force the more concentrated water molecules on the strawberry's interior to move outside to the strawberry's surface.