Science Smarts: Chemistry fun with leftover eggs from Easter break

By Patty Rooks on April 6, 2024.

I do not know if you “over shopped” for the holiday weekend like I did but I have a ton of eggs left to use. Of course, they are not going to go to waste in this house, we are going to do some science with them! Let’s get started.

*Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

– Glass jar or clear drinking glass

– Science notebook

– Pen or pencil

– Egg

– CH3 COOH (white vinegar)

– Area to store your experiment for a day or two

– Patience

Procedure

1. Place one egg in the jar.

2. Pour enough vinegar over the egg to cover it.

3. Make some observations in your science notebook.

4. Place the experiment in an area where it can be undisturbed for a day or so.

5. Check back every six hours and record your observations.

6. What happens?

What is going on?

You should have observed that once you poured the vinegar over the egg there were bubbles floating to the top. These bubbles are carbon dioxide being released from the chemical reaction between the vinegar (CH3COOH) and the egg shell which contains calcium carbonate (CaC03). As the egg sits in the vinegar, it slowly dissolves the calcium carbonate. Eventually your egg will be naked! There will be no shell left. Carefully remove it at this stage and feel it and make more observations!

Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. Address: 12 826 11th Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca.

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