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The rubber egg experiment is a classic science experiment that can be used to demonstrate the chemical reaction of vinegar and calcium carbonate.
We love watching the magic, or science happen, over the course of the few days the reaction takes.
Every couple of hours, I’ll catch one of the kids peering over the benchtop on their tippy toes to see if there are any noticeable changes. It’s egg-specially exciting!
Just quietly, I have been known to have a sticky beak and give the experiment a little poke myself.
What can I say? Curiosity is a powerful desire to learn.
Rubber Egg Science Experiment
The rubber egg experiment is a fun and easy science activity to do with your kids.
It’s a great way for children to learn some of the basics of chemistry, including how acids react with calcium-based materials like eggs shells.
By dissolving the shell of the egg with vinegar, the inner contents of the egg are revealed – creating a naked egg!
Yup- an egg with no shell!
This simple experiment can be used to introduce students to basic scientific concepts such as diffusion and osmosis. That is, all while using just a couple of things found in the kitchen!
What you need to set up the rubber egg science experiment
The first time we did this science experiment presented lots of learning curves. The main one that stood out was the size of the container.
When selecting your container, consider the size of the egg and that the egg needs to be fully submerged with vinegar.
We used a glass jar. It was perfect as the glass was transparent.
We had a full view of the entire process. However, the jar turned out to be too small.
As the egg swelled and the gases amounted beneath the egg, something unexpected happened.
It was totally un-egg-spected!
The egg rose up out of the jar.
Yes, our experiment was making its way out of the jar.
With a gentle wiggle to allow for the gases underneath to escape, our experiment nestled back in quickly enough.
Interestingly enough the edges of the egg that made contact with the jar hadn’t disoved as much as those fully exposed to the vinegar.
That being said, we transferred it to a slightly wider jar to prevent the egg from making another unexpected move.
How to make a bouncy egg
How to set up your rubber egg science experiment
- Make some observations of the egg. Consider the size, hardness of the shell and the shape of the egg.
- Place egg gently into the container
- Pour the vinegar into the container to cover the egg
- Make observations. Are bubbles forming around the egg?
- Leave the egg for up to a week, changing the vinegar every few days, making observations each day
- Gently rinse the by product off the outside of the egg
- Make observations of the end result
- Explore the rubber egg!
What is the Rubber Egg Science Experiment
The rubber egg science experiment is a classic demonstration of how vinegar can dissolve the shell of an egg.
The process literally happens before your eyes. Well, that is over a few days.
There is no guessing whether the experiment is working or not. The reaction is clearly visible with a display of bubbles forming as a key indicator of the process in action.
This reaction occurs because the vinegar, containing acetic acid, reacts with calcium carbonate in the shell to produce carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is the bubbles that are seen forming around the egg!
When the vinegar and eggshell meet, carbon dioxide is released via a chemical reaction, causing the shell of the egg to dissolve.
Over a few days, the shell becomes no more.
Hence a naked egg!
What is the science behind the rubber egg experiment
The rubber egg experiment can be used to introduce students to basic scientific concepts such as diffusion and osmosis.
In addition, students can learn about the chemical reaction that takes place when vinegar is added to calcium carbonate.
The rubber egg experiment is a good demonstration of the effect osmosis has on the movement of water across a membrane.
The eggshell is porous.
This means the eggshell contains tiny holes. Through these tiny holes, water can move from inside to outside the egg and vice versa.
This happens via osmosis.
Osmosis occurs when two substances exist on either side of a semi-permeable membrane which are of different concentrations.
To make both sides the same, osmosis occurs.
That is, solvents or water pass through the semi-permeable membrane to reach equilibrium. That means they would be at the same concentration.
After soaking for a few days, the rubber egg is clearly plumper.
This is due to the extra water that has crossed over the membrane, to the inside of the egg.
How Does Osmosis Work?
Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a semi-permeable membrane.
Semi-permeable means that some small particles can diffuse through the membrane but others cannot.
This happens because water molecules are small enough to fit through the holes in the eggshell, while larger particles of calcium carbonate do not fit.
What Happens During Diffusion?
Diffusion describes how molecules spread apart and mix into each other when they’re in different concentrations.
These molecules will spread apart and mix with each other in order to equalize the concentration.
This occurs because of random movement – if two molecules are close together but have different concentration levels, the concentration level in the vicinity may change due to diffusion over time.
What is Chemical Reaction?
A chemical reaction usually changes the state of substances.
As a result of this process new substances, called products, are produced.
Usually, one or more types of molecules are involved in chemical reactions.
In this science experiment, when vinegar reacts with calcium carbonate, two new substances are produced – carbon dioxide gas and calcium acetate.
Layers of an egg
An egg is made up of several layers, including the shell, the albumen (or egg white), and the chalaza.
The eggshell is made up of calcium carbonate, which is why it dissolves in vinegar.
The albumen contains protein and water, while the chalaza is a cord that attaches the yolk to the albumen.
The eggshell protects the egg from bacteria and other contaminants, while the albumen provides food and energy for the embryo. The chalaza helps to move the yolk around inside the egg.
What is an Eggshell Made of?
The shell of an egg is composed of tough, flexible plates made mostly from calcium carbonate. There are also cells and membranes throughout the shell. This helps protect and support the developing baby chick inside.
What Happens When Vinegar Meets the Egg Shell?
When the egg is soaked in vinegar, the acetic acid (in the vinegar) reacts with the calcium carbonate shell of the egg.
Diffusion and osmosis work on eggshells like all other cells in living organisms.
Cells lining an eggshell are surrounded by a membrane that separates them from their surrounding environment.
The membrane is semi-permeable, which means that it mostly only lets water through the membrane.
This is why when you crack a boiled egg open you find a membrane between the egg white and the shell.
The center part of the egg contains more water than the rest of the egg.
When an egg is soaked in vinegar, diffusion and osmosis work together to change the egg’s chemical composition over time by moving water outward into the acetic acid solution.
As more and more water moves out of the cell walls due to osmosis, eventually they burst because there’s not enough water left inside them.
At this point, all that’s left are dried-up pieces of the membrane lining the inside of your shell.
These can be gently rinsed away.
In this reaction, hydrogen ions from the acetic acid react with the calcium carbonate shell of the egg to produce water and solid products of carbon dioxide.
Once the shell is gone, the vinegar pickles the outer membrane as it crosses over via osmosis.
This toughens the egg, giving it a bit of a bounce come to the end of the experiment. It also is what causes the egg to swell.
What is the chemical reaction?
The reaction equation that has occurred is
CaCO3 + 2CH3COOH → Ca(CH3COO)2 + CO2↑ + H2O
How long does the rubber egg experiment take?
The reaction involved in the rubber egg science experiment is noticeable instantly.
Bubbles or the carbon dioxide will start forming straight away.
The shell of the egg is typically visibly compromised with a day.
The shell is usually dissolved by day three.
After a week the membrane has toughened the egg enough to render the egg rubbery or bouncy.
Although we call the egg a rubber egg, the centre is still liquid. Remember to handle the rubber egg with care.
Will the rubber egg bounce?
The rubber egg will bounce from low heights. Start just a couple of centremetres from the bench and increase to discover your eggs threshold! This is an experiment to do over the sink or outside… It will end with the egg bursting!
Our egg was able to be dropped from a height of about 30cm however we have read of eggs being dropped without breaking from a height of 50cm!
Variations of the experiment
There are many different variations of the rubber egg experiment that you can try.
Once your child understands the fundamentals of the experiment, why not experiment with a few variables?
For example, you could try using different types of vinegar, such as
- white vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- balsamic vinegar
Would other acidic liquids work the same?
- Lemon juice
- Soft drink
You could also try using different types of eggs such as
- chicken eggs
- duck eggs
- goose eggs
- quail eggs
Create a design using a wax crayon or candle to see if the wax will protect the shell.
Hypothetically the shell would be protected by the wax so not in contact with the vinegar. Will the wax hold up over the duration of the experiment?
Try experimenting with different temperatures to observe how it impacts the result.
Store one experiment in the fridge and another at room temperature and compare the results.
There are so many variations to this experiment.
Which are you going to try first?
Ufunuo: Blogi hii ina viungo vya ushirika ambavyo ninaweza kupata tume ndogo kutoka ikiwa unanunua kupitia hizo, bila gharama ya ziada kwako. Jaribio la mayai ya mpira ni jaribio la kisayansi la kawaida ambalo linaweza kutumiwa kuonyesha athari ya kemikali ya siki na kalsiamu kaboni. Tunapenda kuona uchawi, au sayansi, ikitokea katika siku chache za athari. Kila baada ya saa chache, mimi itabidi kupata moja ya watoto peering juu ya benchi juu ya vidole vya miguu yao tipy kuona kama kuna mabadiliko yoyote ya kuonekana. Ni yai-hasa ya kusisimua! Kwa utulivu tu, nimejulikana kuwa na mdomo wenye kunata na kutoa jaribio hilo kidogo mwenyewe. Ninaweza kusema nini? Udadisi ni tamaa kubwa ya kujifunza. Majaribio ya Sayansi ya Mayai ya Rubber ni shughuli ya kisayansi ya kufurahisha na rahisi kufanya na watoto wako. Ni njia nzuri kwa watoto kujifunza baadhi ya misingi ya kemia, ikiwa ni pamoja na jinsi asidi kuitikia na vifaa calcium-msingi kama shells ya mayai. Kwa kuyeyusha ganda la yai kwa siki, vitu vilivyo ndani ya yai hufunuliwa - na hivyo kutokeza yai lisilo na kitu! Ndio - yai bila ganda! Jaribio hili rahisi linaweza kutumiwa kuwajulisha wanafunzi dhana za msingi za kisayansi kama vile kuenea na osmosis. Hiyo ni, huku ukitumia vitu vichache tu unavyopata jikoni! Kwa mfano, kama unavyojua, kwa mfano, majaribio ya yai la mpira, ambayo ni ya kawaida, ni ya kawaida, lakini kwa mfano, majaribio ya yai la mpira yanaonyesha tofauti za kujifunza. Jambo kuu lililokuwa likionekana ni ukubwa wa chombo hicho. Wakati wa kuchagua chombo, fikiria ukubwa wa yai na kwamba yai linahitaji kuzamishwa kabisa katika siki. Tulitumia chupa ya kioo. Ilikuwa kamilifu kama kioo ilikuwa uwazi. Tulikuwa na mtazamo kamili wa mchakato mzima. Hata hivyo, chupa hiyo ilionekana kuwa ndogo sana. Wakati yai lilipokuwa likiongezeka na gesi zikiwa chini ya yai, jambo lisilotazamiwa lilitokea. Ilikuwa kabisa un-yai-spected! Yai lilitoka kwenye chupa. Ndiyo, jaribio letu lilikuwa likitoka nje ya chupa. Kwa kutikisa polepole ili kuruhusu gesi zilizo chini ya ardhi zitoke, jaribio letu lilirudi ndani haraka vya kutosha. Jambo la kupendeza ni kwamba kingo za yai zilizogusa chupa hazikuwa zimetenganishwa sana kama zile zilizowekwa wazi kabisa kwa siki. Kwa hiyo, tulibadilisha chupa hiyo na kuifanya iwe pana zaidi ili kuzuia yai hilo lisitoke tena. Jinsi ya kufanya yai bouncy Jinsi ya kuanzisha yako yai mpira sayansi majaribio - Kufanya baadhi ya uchunguzi wa yai. Fikiria ukubwa, ugumu wa ganda, na umbo la yai. - Weka yai polepole ndani ya chombo - Mimina siki ndani ya chombo ili kufunika yai - Fanya uchunguzi. Je, kuna Bubbles zinazojitokeza kwenye yai? - Acha yai kwa hadi wiki moja, kubadilisha siki kila siku chache, kufanya uchunguzi kila siku - Polepole kuosha bidhaa na nje ya yai - Kufanya uchunguzi wa matokeo ya mwisho - Kuchunguza yai mpira! Majaribio ya Sayansi ya Mayai ya Rubber ni majaribio ya kisayansi ya mayai ya mpira ambayo huonyesha jinsi siki inavyoweza kufuta ganda la yai. Utaratibu huo hutukia mbele ya macho yako. Kwa kweli, ni zaidi ya siku chache. Hakuna uwezekano wa kujua kama jaribio hilo linafanya kazi au la. Mmenyuko ni wazi inayoonekana na kuonyesha ya Bubbles kuunda kama kiashiria muhimu ya mchakato katika hatua. Mmenyuko huo hutokea kwa sababu siki, ambayo ina asidi asidi, huingiliana na kaboni ya kalsiamu katika ganda ili kutokeza kaboni dioksidi. Kaboni dioksidi ni Bubbles kwamba ni kuonekana kuunda karibu ya yai! Wakati siki na ganda la yai zinakutana, kaboni dioksidi hutolewa kupitia mmenyuko wa kemikali, na hivyo ganda la yai huyeyuka. Baada ya siku chache, ganda hilo halitakuwapo tena. Kwa hiyo yai tupu! Majaribio ya mayai ya mpira yanaweza kutumika kuanzisha wanafunzi kwa dhana za msingi za kisayansi kama vile kuenea na osmosis. Kwa kuongezea, wanafunzi wanaweza kujifunza juu ya mmenyuko wa kemikali unaotokea wakati siki inapongezwa kwa kalsiamu kaboni. Jaribio la mayai ya mpira ni kielelezo kizuri cha athari ya osmosis juu ya harakati ya maji kwenye utando. Kamba ya yai ina matundu. Hilo lamaanisha kwamba ganda la yai lina mashimo madogo. Kupitia mashimo hayo madogo, maji yanaweza kusafiri kutoka ndani ya yai hadi nje na kinyume chake. Hilo hutukia kupitia osmosis. Osmosis hutokea wakati vitu viwili vinapowepo pande zote mbili za utando wa nusu-permeable ambao ni wa mkusanyiko tofauti. Ili kufanya pande zote mbili ziwe sawa, osmosis hutokea. Yaani, vimumunyifu au maji hupita kupitia utando wa nusu-permeable kufikia usawa. Hiyo ina maana watakuwa katika mkusanyiko huo huo. Baada ya kunyunyizia kwa siku chache, yai la mpira huwa na unene mwingi. Hii ni kwa sababu ya maji ya ziada ambayo yamepita juu ya utando, ndani ya yai. Osmosis Hufanyaje Kazi? Osmosis ni kuenea kwa maji katika utando nusu-permeable. Semi-permeable ina maana kwamba baadhi ya chembe ndogo inaweza kuenea kupitia utando lakini wengine hawawezi. Hii hutokea kwa sababu molekuli za maji ni ndogo vya kutosha kuweza kuingia katika mashimo ya shell ya yai, wakati chembe kubwa za calcium carbonate hazifanyi kazi. Ni Nini Hutokea Wakati wa Kuenea? Kuenea huelezea jinsi molekuli zinavyoenea mbali na kuchanganyika katika kila mmoja wakati wako katika mkusanyiko tofauti. Molekuli hizi zitaenea mbali na kuchanganyika pamoja ili kulinganisha mkusanyiko. Hii hutokea kwa sababu ya harakati ya nasibu <unk> ikiwa molekuli mbili ziko karibu lakini zina viwango tofauti vya mkusanyiko, kiwango cha mkusanyiko katika ujirani kinaweza kubadilika kwa sababu ya kuenea kwa muda. Mmenyuko wa Kemikali Ni Nini? Kwa kawaida mmenyuko wa kemikali hubadili hali ya vitu. Matokeo ya mchakato huo ni kwamba vitu vipya, vinavyoitwa bidhaa, hutokezwa. Kwa kawaida, aina moja au zaidi ya molekuli huhusika katika athari za kemikali. Katika jaribio hili la kisayansi, wakati siki inapoingilia kati na kalsiamu kaboni, vitu viwili vipya hutokezwa - gesi ya kaboni dioksidi na kalsiamu aseti. Kiasi cha mayai ya kiume ni kiasi cha kiini cha kiume, kiini cha kiume, kiini cha kiume, na kiini cha kiume. Kamba ya yai hufanyizwa kwa kalsiamu kaboni, ndiyo sababu huyeyuka katika siki. Albamu ina protini na maji, huku chalaza ikiwa kamba inayounganisha manjano na albamu. Kamba ya yai huilinda yai dhidi ya bakteria na uchafuzi mwingine, huku albumu ikitoa chakula na nishati kwa kiinitete. Chalaza husaidia kusafirisha manjano ndani ya yai. Kamba ya yai hutengenezwa kwa nini? Kamba ya yai ina mabamba magumu, yenye kubadilika-badilika ambayo hutengenezwa hasa kwa kalsiamu kaboni. Pia kuna chembe na utando kotekote katika ganda hilo. Hilo husaidia kulinda na kutegemeza mtoto anayeendelea kukua ndani yake. Ni Nini Hutokea Wakati Sufuria Inapokutana na Kamba ya Mayai? Wakati yai linapotiwa siki, asidi ya asidi (iliyo katika siki) huingiliana na ganda la kalsiamu ya kaboni ya yai. Uenezaji na osmosis hufanya kazi kwenye magamba ya mayai kama vile chembe nyingine zote katika viumbe hai. Chembe zilizo ndani ya ganda la yai huzungukwa na utando unaozitenganisha na mazingira yanayowazunguka. Mzunguko ni nusu-permeable, ambayo ina maana kwamba ni zaidi tu inaruhusu maji kupitia membrane. Kwa hiyo, wakati wa kufungua yai, kuna utando kati ya nyeupe na ganda. Sehemu ya katikati ya yai ina maji mengi kuliko sehemu nyingine ya yai. Wakati yai ni soaked katika siki, diffusion na osmosis kazi pamoja kubadilisha yai la kemikali muundo kwa muda kwa kuhamisha maji nje katika suluhisho asidi asidi. Kadiri maji mengi yanavyoondoka nje ya kuta za chembe kwa sababu ya osmosis, hatimaye huvunjika kwa sababu hakuna maji ya kutosha yaliyobaki ndani yao. Katika hatua hii, yote ambayo imebaki ni vipande vilivyo kavu vya utando unaofunika ndani ya ganda lako. Hizi zaweza kuosha kwa upole. Katika mmenyuko huu, ioni za hidrojeni kutoka asidi asidi huingiliana na ganda la kalsiamu ya kaboni ya yai ili kutokeza maji na bidhaa ngumu za kaboni dioksidi. Mara tu ganda linapoondoka, siki huondoa utando wa nje unapopita kupitia osmosis. Hii hufanya yai kuwa ngumu, ikitoa kipande kidogo cha kuruka kuja mwisho wa jaribio. Pia ndiyo husababisha yai kuvuja. Mmenyuko huo wa kemikali ni nini? Kwa mfano, kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, CaCO2 + 2CH3COOH + CaCO2 + CO2 + H2O ni sawa na kiwango cha kawaida cha mtihani wa mayai ya mpira. Mmenyuko unaohusika katika jaribio la kisayansi la mayai ya mpira huonekana mara moja. Bubbles au kaboni dioksidi itaanza kuunda mara moja. Kwa kawaida ganda la yai huharibika kwa njia inayoonekana baada ya siku moja. Kwa kawaida ganda hilo huyeyuka kufikia siku ya tatu. Baada ya juma moja, utando huo umefanya yai liwe gumu vya kutosha ili liwe na rangi ya mpira au liweze kuruka. Ingawa tunaita yai hilo ya mpira, katikati yake bado kuna umajimaji. Kumbuka kushughulikia yai la mpira kwa uangalifu. Je, yai la mpira litaruka? Yai la mpira litaruka kutoka urefu wa chini. Anza tu centremeters chache kutoka benchi na kuongeza kugundua yai lako kizingiti! Hii ni majaribio ya kufanya juu ya sinki au nje... Itakuwa kuishia na yai bursting! "Kama ya kwamba yai lilitupwa kutoka urefu wa sentimita 30 na hakuna ushahidi wowote unaoonyesha kwamba yai lilitupwa kutoka urefu wa sentimita 50 bila kuvunjika.""" Kuna aina nyingi za majaribio ya mayai ya mpira ambayo unaweza kujaribu. Baada ya mtoto wako kuelewa mambo ya msingi ya jaribio hilo, kwa nini usijaribu mambo machache? Kwa mfano, unaweza kujaribu kutumia aina tofauti za siki, kama vile - siki nyeupe - siki ya apple cider - siki ya balsamic Je, umajimaji mwingine wenye asidi ungefanya hivyo? - Juisi ya limao - Kinywaji cha maji ya maji Unaweza pia kujaribu kutumia aina tofauti za mayai kama vile - mayai ya kuku - mayai ya bata - mayai ya goose - mayai ya quail Tengeneza muundo kwa kutumia kalamu ya nta au mshumaa ili kuona kama nta italinda ganda. Kwa nadharia ganda lingelindwa na nta hivyo si katika kuwasiliana na siki. Je, nta hiyo itadumu kwa muda wote wa jaribio hilo? Jaribu na joto tofauti ili kuona jinsi inavyoathiri matokeo. Weka jaribio moja kwenye friji na jingine kwenye joto la chumba na ulinganishe matokeo. Kuna tofauti nyingi sana kwa jaribio hili. Ni ipi utakayojaribu kwanza?