Can you dissolve the eggshell of a raw egg?

How to dissolve the eggshell off an egg

You just need:

• an egg
• regular white vinegar
• a glass jar with lid

What to do

1. Add an egg to a glass jar.

It’s easier for young kids to hold the jar on its side, and gently place the egg inside. I’d recommend choosing a glass jar with a wide mouth, because your egg will swell slightly and may become too large for the jar opening (which is what happened to one of ours!)

2. Add vinegar.

Pour in enough vinegar to cover the egg, and then a little bit more. Our eggs floated at first, but they sank later on.

3. Look for bubbles!

Within a minute of adding the vinegar, tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas (the same gas that makes fizzy drinks all fizzy) appear on the eggshell. This is one part of the chemical reaction that is happening inside the jar.

4. Put on the lid, and let sit for a few days, or maybe a week.
The egg becomes slightly larger (because of osmosis). The brown eggshell colour pales. A layer of scum appears on the surface of the vinegar.If you’re keen, you could replace the vinegar after a day or two. Or if you’re like me, you might accidentally forget to do this bit….

5. Carefully remove the egg from the vinegar. Wash and gently rub off any remaining eggshell.

We found the eggshell wiped away, just at a light touch. It’s like wiping away wet chalk dust. (If your eggshell doesn’t come off easily, you may need to soak it in more vinegar for another day).

Jewel’s a little older, and is starting to comprehend the chemistry behind it all a bit more. Or at least comprehending that there is such a thing as chemistry behind it all. She’s starting to understand that the world is made up of elements, and that combinations of elements join together to form molecules (similar to how reading is made up of letters, and combinations of letters form words).

We’ve been talking about how some molecules are acidic and alkaline. She knows that there are things called ‘acids’ and that some of these acids are citric acid, stomach acid, uric acid and acid in vinegar. She knows that acids react with baking soda to cause a fizzy reaction, because of the dozens of Anzac Biscuits we’ve made over the years, and also, probably more prominent in her memory, because of the erupting volcano we made last month. But this is the first time that she’s experienced an acid-base reaction that doesn’t involve baking soda. While we were doing this activity, we chatted about how the acid in the vinegar reacts with the alkaline eggshell to dissolve it, and how the carbon dioxide bubbles are created as part of this reaction. Small steps to expand upon her interest, exposure and knowledge.

For more dissolving egg-spiration, you might like:

• Making Naked Eggs | Explanatorium
• Bouncy Eggs | Childhood101
• How to Make a Naked Egg (video) | Imagination Station Toledo

Or if you’re looking for another Easter science project, you might like:

• How to make your own Easter Egg shaped bubble wands (but what shape bubbles will they blow?)