Naked egg in vinegar
Recommended age: 8+. Adult supervision required! Over two days, vinegar dissolves the shell of a raw egg, leaving a translucent 'bouncy egg' jiggling in its membrane — spectacular slow chemistry on your kitchen counter.
Chemicals
- 1 pc raw egg (fresh, without cracks) — fresh, without cracks
- 300 ml household vinegar (10%) (enough to cover the egg completely) — enough to cover the egg completely
Procedure
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Raw egg can carry salmonella: wash your hands immediately after touching the egg or the jar, and never put the egg in your mouth! Vinegar stings the eyes — work with your goggles on.
Safety! -
Using the tablespoon, slide the egg gently to the bottom of the jar.
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Pour in vinegar until the egg is completely covered.
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Look right away: tiny bubbles are beading on the shell — that is carbon dioxide forming! The bubbles may even make the egg start to dance.
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Cover the jar loosely and leave it on the counter. After 24 hours, pour off the liquid and add fresh vinegar — the result comes faster and cleaner this way.
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After another 24 hours, lift the egg out with the spoon and rinse it under a thin stream of cold water, gently rubbing off the remaining white film with your fingertips.
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In a dark room, shine a phone light through the egg — you will see its yolk glowing through the translucent inside!
Technique -
Over the small plate, drop it gently from 2-3 cm: it bounces like a rubber ball! From higher up it will burst — the egg decides how far you dare to go.
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At the end, wash your hands thoroughly and wash up everything that touched the egg.
Apparatus
- 1× jar or tall glass — kb. 0,5 l
- 1× tablespoon
- 1× small plate
Frequently asked questions
- Why does it work?
- The eggshell is calcium carbonate, which the acetic acid dissolves while producing carbon dioxide gas — that is what you see as bubbles. The elastic membrane under the shell does not dissolve: it holds the egg together and makes it 'rubbery'.
- Why did the egg get bigger than it was?
- The membrane is semi-permeable: water passes through it and migrates from the vinegar into the egg — this is called osmosis. If you then put the finished egg into thick sugar syrup for a day, it shrivels, because the water migrates outwards instead.
- How long does the bouncy egg keep?
- About a week in a closed box in the fridge. Then throw it away — remember, inside it has remained a raw egg the whole time and must not be eaten in any form.
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