making a bouncy egg experiment

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Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment – How to Make a Bouncy Egg

Hold on to your eggs because this egg in vinegar science experiment might have your kids bouncing along with these bouncy raw eggs. Kids will discover how a chemical reaction can dissolve what seems solid into something that feels more like a bouncy ball! 

Watch the video, print out the instructions, then try it for yourself. Our simple scientific explanation helps kids see and feel the results of chemical reactions while learning how it works. 

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works

Supplies Needed

• Glass or Jar

Bouncy Egg Science Lab Kit – Only $5

Use our easy Bouncy Egg Science Lab Kit to grab your students’ attention without the stress of planning!

It’s everything you need to  make science easy for teachers and fun for students  — using inexpensive materials you probably already have in your storage closet!

Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment Instructions

Experiment Setup – Start with some observations about the egg. Explain that it is a raw egg and that that the shell is fragile and can easily be cracked. Demonstrate this with another egg. Then ask some questions. Does it seem possible that we can get the egg to bounce? Next observe the supplies for the experiment. What do you think will happen if you put the egg in vinegar? Write down your hypothesis (prediction) and then follow the steps below.

Step 1 – Get a raw egg and carefully place it into a glass or jar. Then fill the glass with white vinegar until the egg is completely submerged.

Step 2 – Leave the egg in the glass for 2-3 days. Each day, check back on the egg. Make some observations. Do you notice any changes to the egg? Is anything happening to the vinegar? Write down your observations each day. After about 3 days the egg will start to become translucent and you will know it is ready to move to step 3. 

Step 3 – Carefully remove the egg from the glass and rinse it under some tap water. While rinsing the egg, gently rub the outside of the egg and the white film will come off leaving you with a translucent egg. Examine the egg and make some observations. Does the egg look different from when you started the experiment? Does the egg feel different? Perhaps you notice that it feels rubbery (like a bouncy ball). Write down your observations. 

Step 4 – Over a plate or other container, lift the egg 1-2 inches in the air, let go, and watch it bounce. Make some observations. What happens to the egg? Does it bounce? Is this different than what you expected?

Step 5 – When you are ready for some messy fun, lift the egg a little higher in the air and let it go…SPLAT!

Wondering what caused the egg to bounce? Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below.

Video Tutorial

Watch the Bouncy Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment Step by Step Instructions

How Does the Bouncy Egg Science Experiment Work

The egg becomes bouncy as a result of a chemical reaction between the eggshell and the vinegar. The eggshell of a chicken egg is made of calcium carbonate, and vinegar is a weak acid. If you’ve ever mixed baking soda and vinegar together, you know the violent reaction that results. The calcium carbonate that makes up the eggshell will react with the vinegar the same way baking soda reacts with vinegar (just a lot less violently). You know the vinegar and calcium carbonate of the eggshell are reacting because of the small bubbles that form around the egg when it is placed in the vinegar. These small bubbles are carbon dioxide gas, which are the result of the reaction between calcium carbonate and vinegar.

Once the shell of the egg is gone, all that is left covering the egg is a thin membrane. The vinegar begins working on the egg’s membrane. The membrane of a chicken egg is selectively permeable . The vinegar is able to cross the selectively permeable membrane of the egg through osmosis . The vinegar toughens up the membrane of the egg making it bouncy!

The selectively permeable membrane of the egg means that some substances can pass through the membrane while others cannot. Osmosis is the diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane.

Other Ideas to Try

Try other acids like lemon juice. Does it have the same effect on the eggshell? Try other types of eggs – white vs. brown shells, regular vs. organic eggs, maybe you can even find some unusual egg types at your local grocery store to experiment with (turkey, duck, quail eggs).

I hope you enjoyed the experiment. Here are some printable instructions:

Bouncy Egg Science Experiment

Instructions.

• Get a raw egg and carefully place it into a glass or jar. Then fill the glass with white vinegar until the egg is completely submerged.
• Leave the egg in the glass for 2-3 days. Each day, check back on the egg. Make some observations. Do you notice any changes to the egg? Is anything happening to the vinegar? Write down your observations each day. After about 3 days the egg will start to become translucent and you will know it is ready to move to step 3. 
• Carefully remove the egg from the glass and rinse it under some tap water. While rinsing the egg, gently rub the outside of the egg and the white film will come off leaving you with a translucent egg. Examine the egg and make some observations. Does the egg look different from when you started the experiment? Does the egg feel different? Perhaps you notice that it feels rubbery (like a bouncy ball). Write down your observations. 
• Over a plate or other container, lift the egg 1-2 inches in the air, let go, and watch it bounce. Make some observations. What happens to the egg? Does it bounce? Is this different than what you expected?
• When you are ready for some messy fun, lift the egg a little higher in the air and let it go…SPLAT!

Reader Interactions

October 8, 2017 at 5:08 pm

this website was extremely helpful

December 13, 2017 at 8:42 am

January 28, 2018 at 3:22 am

How long should I wait accurately to turn the egg bouncy

March 13, 2018 at 11:54 pm

You need to wait at a minimum of two days before bouncing the egg.

October 1, 2018 at 8:17 pm

Hi you have to wait for a maximum of 1-3 days till it bounces.

December 5, 2018 at 12:18 am

April 18, 2018 at 9:55 am

thank you for this useful information guys. always fun to get my hands messy and do a science experiment with with reuban and max 🙂

May 16, 2018 at 6:09 pm

my daughter did this for her science fair project and she left it in for 24 hours and it was perfect

November 12, 2018 at 8:47 pm

We think the calicium on the egg shell dissolves with the vinegar which is an acid.

Are we correct?

December 18, 2018 at 9:42 am

This is so cool.

January 8, 2019 at 8:22 am

Thanks! It helped me a lot for my science project at school!

January 27, 2020 at 4:13 am

Can you add food colouring? ??

February 3, 2023 at 12:32 pm

Yes you can, when i did this experiment in class we did food coloring and highlighter and we made glow in the dark and colored eggs.

February 25, 2020 at 5:12 pm

The acid from the vinegar made the elasticity in the egg.

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Egg in Vinegar Experiment – Make a Rubber Egg

The egg in vinegar experiment is a fun way of learning about egg structure, chemical reactions, osmosis, and the scientific method . It’s a safe and non-toxic project, so it’s perfect for young investigators. Other names for the egg in vinegar experiment are the naked egg, rubber egg, or bouncy egg. The “naked” part is easy to understand, because you’re removing the shell from the egg using chemistry. The “rubber” or “bouncy” description implies the egg bounces rather than breaks. Does it work? You be the judge!

The Chemistry of the Egg in Vinegar Experiment

Vinegar contains acetic acid (CH 3 COOH), which is a weak acid . Egg shells are calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). Acetic acid reacts with calcium carbonate, making calcium acetate and carbon dioxide. Here is the balanced chemical equation for the reaction:

2 CH 3 COOH(aq) + CaCO 3 (s) → Ca(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 (aq) + H 2 O(l) + CO 2 (g)

The calcium acetate dissolves in water, while the carbon dioxide is a gas and forms bubbles. So, the egg shell dissolves and bubbles away, leaving a naked egg.

What You Do

All you need for this project is an egg, vinegar, and a cup:

• Cup large enough for the egg
• Food coloring (optional)

Use either a raw egg or hard-boiled egg. The advantage of using a raw egg is that you can see into the inside of the egg when you are done. The advantage of using a hard-boiled egg is that it bounces after pickling in the vinegar. The raw egg bounces a bit too, but if you use too much force it breaks open and makes a mess.

• Place the egg in a cup.
• Pour vinegar over the egg until it is just covered. It’s okay if the egg floats a bit. If you like, add a few drops of food coloring. After about 15 minutes, observe the bubbles forming around the egg. The bubbles are carbon dioxide gas. They form from the chemical reaction between the acetic acid in the vinegar and the calcium carbonate of the egg shell. You may also feel that the cup is slightly warm. The reaction is exothermic, meaning it gives off heat. The bubbles and temperature change are two signs of a chemical change .
• Wait a day. Also note that the liquid becomes cloudy or scummy. This is the dissolving egg shell.
• If you remove the egg after 1 day, use a spoon. Otherwise, a raw egg easily ruptures. At this point, if you remove the egg, you can easily rinse away any remaining shell. But, you get better results if you pour off the liquid and add fresh vinegar. This is especially true if you want a rubber egg or bouncy egg. Wait another day or two, giving the vinegar time to get all the way into the egg.
• Remove the egg and rinse it off using water.

Why Rotten Eggs Float in Water

Learn the scientific reason why bad eggs float in water, while good eggs sink.

Science Experiments to Try

Now that you have a rubber egg, what do you do with it?

• Examine the internal structure of the egg. This only works if you started with a raw egg and not a hard-boiled one. Identify the egg membrane, yolk, egg white (albumin), and chalaza.
• Compare the egg without its shell to a normal egg. Notice that the egg soaked in vinegar is slightly larger than the egg with its shell. Why is this? The reason is because water entered the rubber egg via osmosis . The concentration of salts, proteins, and other molecules inside the egg is greater than the concentration in the cup. The egg membrane is semipermeable. It allows the movement of water, but not larger molecules. So, the egg swells with water to try to dilute the inside of the egg so it has the same concentration and outside of the egg. Experiment : Predict what happens if you soak the rubber egg in corn syrup, salt water, or sugar water. Compare the size of this egg with a normal egg and a rubber egg. Corn syrup, salt water, or sugar water shrink the egg because the liquid is more concentrated the interior of the egg. Here, water leaves the egg via osmosis.
• Try bouncing the egg. In addition to dissolving the egg shell, vinegar also pickles the egg. It changes the conformation of protein molecules in the egg white. Because vinegar has a low pH, it also helps preserve the egg. Experiment : Compare how well a rubber egg bounces depending on whether you started with a raw egg or hard-boiled egg.

Can You Eat the Egg?

Eating an egg after soaking it in vinegar is not a great plan. First, it won’t taste great. Second, it could make you sick. If you must eat your experiment, soak a hard-boiled egg in vinegar in the refrigerator for a few days.

Does the Egg in Vinegar Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

Mostly, the egg comes out of this project smelling like vinegar. Vinegar pickles the egg, which preserves it. But, once you remove the egg from vinegar it starts decomposing. After enough time, if you break the egg, it will stink. The odor comes from hydrogen sulfide gas, which is a product of the decomposition reactions in the egg.

Of course, if you start the project with a rotten egg, all bets are off. Rupturing the membrane releases any trapped gases. Bounce these egg with care!

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Bouncy Egg Experiment

February 10, 2021 By Emma Vanstone 8 Comments

Eggs with no shells are definitely one of the things my children find most intriguing. I’ve made bouncy eggs for nursery children to look at and for secondary school children to use as part of an osmosis experiment .

This fun bouncy egg experiment is great fun for kids of all ages and fascinating for adults too!

I also have a huge collection of egg experiments you might like.

What happens to an egg when you drop it? It smashes.

So how can you make an egg bounce?

How to make an egg bounce

Place an unboiled egg in a container of vinegar for about 24 hours. The vinegar should completely cover the egg. If you want to remove the shell faster, take it out of the vinegar every couple of hours and rinse the egg under cold water while gently rubbing away the shell.

Once the whole shell has dissolved, you have a naked egg which should bounce. Some eggs seem to break more easily than others, so you could try experimenting with different kinds of eggs to see if a certain type or size makes a difference.

To bounce your egg, drop carefully from a low height, the egg should bounce up from the surface. Can you measure at what height it breaks? Or try bouncing on different surfaces?

How about drawing a table to demonstrate your results?

If you don’t want to break the eggs, how about shrinking an egg ?This is a fantastic way to learn about osmosis .

More Egg Experiments

Use eggs to learn about tooth decay !

Find out why an egg can seem to be unbreakable .

Make an egg shell bridge .

Key Stage 1 Science

Investigative skills.

Ask the child to predict if an egg can bounce using past experience of the properties of the shell.

Obtain and present evidence

Did you draw a table to demonstrate how high the egg bounced?

Consider and evaluate evidence evidence

Were the results as expected?

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Last Updated on March 2, 2022 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

January 30, 2013 at 2:24 pm

Oh my what fun!!! What a brilliant experiment.

Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty.

February 07, 2013 at 11:20 pm

VERY cool! I love stretching their minds =-)

Thanks for linking up to TGIF! I hope to see you again tomorrow! Beth =-)

April 02, 2013 at 7:20 pm

Love this! Please can you explain the science behind this? Many thanks!

April 03, 2013 at 3:06 am

That’s really AWESOME! That’s a really great experiment to do!

April 03, 2013 at 4:16 am

I have not ever heard of someone able to make a egg bounce. How did you get the idea and how long did it take you to do this? I have never done any type of experiment like this before so I was really interested when I saw this post about the egg bouncing.

March 19, 2017 at 11:21 pm

My name chef

June 15, 2018 at 7:31 pm

This was a grate experiment my kids really had fun with it!

March 27, 2023 at 1:14 pm

Cool! I’ve always wanted to make a bouncy egg – now I have! It’s very fun to play with 🙂

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Eggs are often thought of as delicate and fragile, but this activity will show that with a simple chemical reaction we can give them a bit of bounce.

Printable downloads

Follow these steps….

Think and talk about…

• What can you see happening?
• Did you see any bubbles appearing?
• Why do you think changing the vinegar halfway helps to speed up the process?

Investigate…

• What happens if you give the egg a gentle squeeze?
• How high can you drop the egg from before it breaks?
• What happens if you put the naked egg into other liquids? Try putting it in water or golden syrup and see what happens.

What’s the science?

This membrane is surprisingly strong, and the egg can be dropped from a small height without damaging it: it can bounce.

The membrane is ‘semipermeable’: water can pass through it, but substances dissolved in the water cannot. When the egg is immersed in golden syrup, a strong sugar solution, water leaks out of it.

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Bouncy Egg Experiment Easy Science Directions, Worksheets + Video

Find out what’s inside an egg and how to make it bounce without cracking it. Follow the easy directions and print the bouncy egg experiment…

F i nd out what’s inside an egg and how to make it bounce without cracking it. Follow the easy directions and print the bouncy egg experiment worksheets.

Thank you for visiting. This post may contain affiliate links to recommended products at no extra cost to you. Read our Disclosures and Terms of Use . Don't miss out again, become a  Reader here <--it's FREE. 

We can’t tell you if the chicken or egg came first, but we can tell you how to make an egg bounce (a.k.a. naked egg experiment). Just follow the step-by-step instructions to learn how to remove the eggshell of raw eggs, no boiling is required, so your kids can participate in all the steps to complete the experiment making it a wonderful hands-on-science-experiment! 

Everything you need to do this fun science experiment can be found in your kitchen which is nice because you don’t have to run to the store (or Amazon) for any special supplies. It also helps increase the mystery of this science experiment for your children because they have all seen an egg crack…so  wondering how to make an egg bounce comes naturally and curiosity leads to exploration! 

See all our Science Activities Here like our Leaf Chromatography Experiment and How to Grow a Rainbow .

I LOVE science experiments so much because children LOVE doing them, and as they do them they learn firsthand about science concepts and the world around them. I want you to have a successful experiment so on top of giving you the directions and video tutorial , I have also created a  science activity pack  to make STEM activities in your home or classroom a cinch (See our other Science Packs Here ). 

The Bouncy Egg Science Pack includes:

• Read Aloud Narrative to introduce the activity (science pack exclusive)
• Supply List
• Science Explanation
• Egg Experiment Worksheets (science pack exclusive)
• Parts of an Egg Diagram (science pack exclusive)

The worksheets add to the learning by guiding children to think like a scientist  as they go through the scientific process and learn about eggs and chemical reactions. Everything is ready for you, so besides gathering the supplies, there is no prep for this simple experiment .

Now, let’s get started and make an egg bounce a.k.a. rubber egg experiment a.k.a. Naked Egg experiment (the latter being my kid’s favorite name to call it…they are so silly)!  

When the experiment is completed and the eggshell is removed the egg will be bouncy and your children’s natural curiosity will be to play with it. This is great just be prepared to clean it up because it will break with enough pressure or force. When you are all done bouncing it, give your rubber egg a pop and see what’s inside.

FAVORITE EGG BOOKS TO ADD MORE LEARNING AND FUN!

Click photos and links: Affiliate links to more information on these books and supplies we love! 

(Purchases through affiliate links earn us a small commission with no extra cost to you. See our  Disclosure Policy here. )

Bouncy Egg Experiment

If you like our Bouncy Egg Science Experiment I would love for you to PIN IT! It helps others discover it too, which helps us bring you more AWESOME CONTENT like this .

• 2 Chicken Eggs (raw, any color)
• White Vinegar
• 2 Jars that an egg can fit in
• Food Coloring
• Small Scale
• Extra egg to crack and observe

Directions:

Watch our Video Tutorial to see how to do this experiment. The  directions and learning worksheets  can be purchased and downloaded. 

• Decide which egg is going into the water and which egg is going in the vinegar. 
• Weigh each egg and record the weight on your worksheet. 

• Label the jars, Vinegar and Water. 
• Carefully place each egg in a jar and cover one egg with water and the other egg with white vinegar. You can add food coloring to the jar, however, note that it may make it harder to observe the egg and the results. (Look below for the photo example of the egg with food coloring… It looks like the Easter Bunny dyed it)

• Let the eggs sit 24hrs. undisturbed. Once the bubbles made of carbon dioxide gas, stop appearing on the vinegar egg and the shell is visibly changed, continue with the experiment. (It will look like chalk is on the outside of the egg). You can let your egg soak for 1-3 days. The longer the better. 

Bouncy Egg Experiment Results

• Size, color, weight, feel 
• Optional: Weigh the eggs and record the weight on your worksheet. 
• Optional: Hold a flashlight to the eggs. Can you see through the egg’s membrane? Do you see the yolk?

Can You Bounce an Egg?

• Optional: When you are done bouncing the egg pop it inside a bowl and observe. 

What Happens When You Put an Egg in Vinegar? Science Explained

The eggshells of chicken eggs are mostly made of calcium carbonate which is insoluble in water and soluble in vinegar. When the egg was covered with water in our control jar, the shell stayed intact. 

When the egg was covered with vinegar, the calcium carbonate in the eggshell immediately started to dissolve. Through this chemical reaction, the vinegar was breaking down the calcium carbonate and releases carbon dioxide. We could see the carbon dioxide bubbles on the outside of the egg. Once the hard shell of the egg is removed, the flexible membrane of the egg stays intact, creating a bouncy egg. 

The egg in the vinegar also gets larger because the vinegar is absorbed into the egg through the permeable membrane. When liquids travel through a membrane it is called osmosis.

Print the Bouncy Eggs Directions and Worksheets:

Don’t see the box?  Click Here  to be taken to the download.

Also Available on  Etsy  and  Teachers Pay Teachers .

Add to the Fun:

How to Grow a Rainbow Science Experiment

Leaf Chromatography for Kids

Rainbow Jar

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Egg In Vinegar (Rubber Egg) Experiment

Find out why this rubber egg or bouncy egg experiment is a classic must-try science activity you can set up in minutes in the classroom or at home! How can you make an egg bounce? What happens to the shell? Does light pass through it? There are so many questions and one easy experiment using everyday supplies. All science experiments should be this exciting, easy, and fun!

Egg In Vinegar Experiment

💡 This experiment is quick to set up, but it must be left for 48 to 72 hours to dissolve the shell and create a bouncy egg!

• Household Vinegar
• Jar or a Vase

STEP 1:   Place an egg in the jar and cover with vinegar.

Optional: You can color the vinegar with food coloring for rainbow-colored rubber eggs too!

STEP 2:   Wait and watch!

Notice the bubbles on the eggshell! The acid in the vinegar reacts with the calcium carbonate in the shell. This reaction produces a gas called carbon dioxide!

STEP 3:   After 48 hours, remove the egg and rinse it off. Ours had a layer of brown scum that was easily washed away!

The hard outer shell is gone and the egg white and yolk are surrounded by a thin membrane.

Why Does An Egg Become Bouncy In Vinegar?

Eggshells get their hardness from a mineral called calcium carbonate similar to our bones. When you place the egg into the vinegar, you will observe bubbles.

These bubbles or gas are produced because of the chemical reaction between the vinegar (an acid) and the calcium carbonate (the base) in the eggshell.

When an acid and a base mix, they form carbon dioxide, a gas. Learn more about acids and bases.

The eggshell breaks down, leaving a soft, bendable, squeeze-able, rubber egg. Does it bounce? Kids can gently squeeze the egg and bounce the egg. However, be prepared for the eggs to burst! See our suggestions below.

Try our seashells in vinegar experiment for another variation of this chemistry lesson.

How does osmosis work?

You may have noticed that the egg gets larger as the shell disappears. The process of osmosis is the reason the inside of the egg increases in its size!

Osmosis is the movement of water through a semi-permeable cell membrane. The water from the vinegar moved inside the egg because of the tiny holes in the membrane.

However, the holes are not big enough to allow the egg to come out, so now the egg and water are inside the cell membrane together! The cell membrane is called semi-permeable because only some materials can pass through. Learn more about osmosis here!

FREE Printable Science Activities Calendar

Fun Things To Do With Your Rubber Egg

Now for the fun part: exploring the naked egg with students! We gathered a few supplies such as a magnifying glass and a large flashlight. However, first, we talked about what our naked egg felt and looked like. We had made a cool, rubbery feeling egg!

💡 TIP: Help your child learn to explore by asking questions to spark curiosity!

All of these questions encourage exploration and hands-on learning. Have kids use their senses to observe ! What does it smell like? What does it look like? There are so many ways to explore. Grab the magnifying glass too!

Can an egg bounce?

Yes!! How high can an egg bounce?

TEST IT: How high can your egg bounce before it breaks? Watch out! This might get messy!

Can you see through an egg?

In general, you can’t see through a raw egg but what about a rubber egg? What happens when you put the naked egg up to a flashlight?

TEST IT: You can see through it! You can even see the yolk rolling around inside. Why is this? Because the hard outer shell is no longer there, you can see through the membrane of the egg.

Will a rubber egg eventually burst?

Of course, we were prompted to wonder what would happen if you burst the naked egg. WOW! With a quick prick from a skewer, the egg burst! We were all quite surprised. The images below show what the naked egg looked like afterward.

Turn It Into An Bouncy Egg Science Project

This basic version below is perfect for younger kids. It includes the right amount of play and learning . For older kids, apply the scientific method by using variables . For example…

• Eggs – Are there differences in eggshells between brown and white eggs? How about organic eggs versus regular eggs?
• Liquid – What happens when you put the rubber egg back in vinegar or another liquid? How about corn syrup? Test different liquids and explore osmosis once the shell is dissolved!

Want to turn this fun science experiment into a science project? Then check out these helpful resources.

• Easy Science Fair Projects
• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas

More Fun Science Experiments To Try

• Take egg drop STEM challenge
• See if you can make an egg float
• Test the strength of the shell
• Make a crystal eggshell .
• Set up a potato osmosis lab.
• Dissolve a seashell!

Printable Science Projects Pack

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics
• Science Fair Project Pack with experiments to try!

14 Comments

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my my bursted my rubberr egg im very upset

is this a fair test?

too many pages to print out….not easy to be able to do .keeps saying click below but get the cards on hypothesisi…dont want that

This is an awesome activity.

This was amazing! in the end it turned out great! my sister popped it tho :c

Comments are closed.

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Egg In Vinegar Experiment

Have you ever heard of a rubber egg or a naked egg? Do you think eggs can bounce? How does an egg become naked and what happens to its shell? Find out by performing this simple egg in vinegar experiment. The chemical reactions between acids and bases are quite difficult for kids to grasp. But the egg in vinegar experiment makes it easier for kids to understand acid-base reactions and osmosis.

Download Egg in Vinegar Experiment Printable

Conducting simple science experiments for kids at home is a great way to keep children engaged in learning science concepts.

Here is a step-by-step guide to do the egg in vinegar experiment with your kids:

• What You Need For The Egg In Vinegar Experiment

Steps To Set-Up The Egg in Vinegar Experiment

Egg in vinegar experiment results, the science behind the egg in vinegar experiment.

• What else do you observe in this egg in vinegar experiment?

Conduct An Interactive Session With Your Kid After The Naked Egg Experiment

What you need for the egg in vinegar experiment .

The egg in vinegar experiment is a very simple experiment that only needs three materials. All of these are easily available and inexpensive too.  

• Red, blue and green food coloring
• 3 mason jars or any clear, glass jar

And you need a lot of patience because the egg in vinegar experiment takes a lot of time, a week to be exact.

Follow these steps to perform the rubber egg experiment:

• Step 1: Fill up the three jars with vinegar.
• Step 2: Put 2 drops of red food coloring in the first jar. Add 2 drops of blue food coloring to the second jar and 2 drops of green food coloring to the third jar. Cover and shake the jar to ensure the food color is completely mixed with the vinegar.
• Step 3: To make rubber eggs using the egg in vinegar experiment, carefully place an egg in each of the 3 jars.
• Step 4: Wait patiently. After some time, you’ll notice bubbles forming on the eggshell. This happens because the acid in the vinegar reacts with the calcium carbonate in the eggshell. This reaction produces a gas called carbon dioxide.
• Step 5: After 2 days, remove the eggs from the colored vinegar solution. It might have a thin layer of brown scum on it, just rinse it off under cold water.
• Step 6: Drain the old vinegar and clean the jar. Place the egg back in the jar and fill the jar with vinegar. Leave the jar undisturbed for 1 week.
• Step 7: After 7 days, drain the jar and rinse the egg under cold water. You’ll notice that the hard eggshell is gone and the egg white yolk is surrounded by a thin, rubbery membrane.

As the eggs sit in the vinegar, it gets larger and the eggshell dissolves, making it rubbery and bouncy. You can bend, squeeze and even bounce this rubber egg! 

• What happened to make the egg soft, rubbery and bouncy? Eggshells are made up of a mineral called calcium carbonate. When you add the egg to the vinegar, the acid in the vinegar reacts with the calcium carbonate in the eggshell, which is a base. This chemical reaction between the calcium carbonate and the vinegar produces a gas called carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ). This reaction also dissolves the eggshell leaving a soft, squishy, and bouncy rubber egg!
• But, how did the egg get bigger?  As the egg sits in the vinegar, some of the water in the vinegar is absorbed through the egg’s membrane. This process, which is called osmosis occurs to balance the concentration of water on both sides of the membrane. This flow of water through the membrane increased the size of the naked egg.

What Else Do You Observe In This Osmosis Egg Experiment?

The bouncy egg experiment will ensure your kids have a lot of fun. Ask them to see if they can observe anything else in this naked egg experiment. Here are some fun things you can try with the bouncy egg.

• Magic Glowing Egg : Put on a flashlight and hold up the egg to the light. What do you see? You’ll notice that the egg is translucent and glows in the light. 
• How high can it bounce? Ask them to check if they can gently squeeze the egg and see how high they can bounce them. But beware, this could get very messy! 
• Is your bouncy egg needle proof? What happens when you pierce the egg with a needle? Will it burst? Ask your child to perform this particular experiment inside a plastic tub to make cleaning up easier. Ask your child to note down their observations and discuss them.

Why You Should Try The Egg In Vinegar Experiment

Egg in vinegar experiment is a simple and easy experiment for kids to do at home. Eggs are something we use every day. From scrambled eggs, omelets, cookies, and cake to Easter eggs, you’ll find eggs everywhere. And you can use the same egg for an easy science experiment that will blow your kid’s mind! 

Help your child understand the science behind the bouncy egg experiment by asking them some leading questions. Give them a few hints to help them understand the concept.

Here are a few questions to help you get started:

• Does the egg feel hard or soft?
• Do you notice any difference between this egg and a regular egg?
• What do you think happened to the egg when it was covered with vinegar?
• Did you learn anything new from conducting the egg in vinegar experiment?

Learning science should be fun, easy, and exciting. Experiments like the egg in vinegar experiment make learning science a wonderful experience. Boost your little scientist’s learning with simple and fun science experiments.

Frequently Asked Questions on Egg In Vinegar Experiment

What are the materials required for egg in vinegar experiment.

The materials required for Egg In Vinegar Experiment are clear mason jars or any glass clear jar, gree, blue and red food coloring solution, raw eggs, and vinegar.

What do kids learn from Egg In Vinegar Experiment?

Kids learn from the Egg In Vinegar Experiment is about how to make the eggs rubbery and soft. What science is used to make an egg bouncy? And how did the eggs get larger?

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Bouncy Egg Science Experiment

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This Bouncy Egg Science Experiment is one that will amaze both kids and adults! Wait until you see how easy it is to turn a raw egg into a bouncing, rubber-like egg using household supplies!

Find more Vinegar Experiments here!

The science behind how to make a bouncy egg is almost as fascinating and fun as playing with and bouncing the egg around!

Table of Contents

Supplies Needed:

• 1 Raw Egg (you can use more if you want)
• 1 Tall Clear Cup
• White Vinegar

How to Do The Bouncing Egg Experiment

• Place a raw egg inside a clear cup.
• Pour enough vinegar into the cup to cover the egg all the way.
• Place a spoon or other heavy object on top of the egg to keep it from floating.
• Let the egg soak in the vinegar for 2 days.
• Gently wash the egg off under cold water.
• Lightly bounce the egg on the counter and see how high you can bounce it before it pops!

Step 1: Set a Raw Egg Inside a Cup

Let’s get started with this super cool science experiment by gently placing a raw egg into a glass or plastic cup. For the best results, use a clear cup so that you can witness the science happening inside the cup!

Be very careful placing the egg into the cup to prevent the shell from cracking or breaking.

We actually decided to use a white egg and a brown egg for this experiment to compare the differences. It was neat to see how they both resulted in bouncy eggs, but they did look slightly different.

Step 2: Add Some White Vinegar Into the Cup

Now pour some white vinegar into the cup. You want to add a generous amount of vinegar to the point that the egg is completely covered in vinegar.

It’s even a good idea to pour enough vinegar to a level about an inch above the top of the egg. This will make sure the egg stays submerged during the waiting process.

Step 3: Put a Spoon on Top of the Egg to Keep it Sunk

After you have covered the egg with vinegar inside the cup, grab a large spoon or something small and heavy to place on top of the egg in the cup.

This will prevent the egg from floating to the top of the vinegar and will play an important role in making sure you get a really good bouncing egg!

If you want to add a glowing twist to this bouncy egg experiment, stop at this step and follow the rest of the steps in this Glowing Egg Experiment , or keep on going to make your incredible bouncy eggs!

Step 4: Wait Patiently For 2 Days While The Egg Soaks in Vinegar

This next step is definitely the hardest part of this bouncy egg science experiment, but it is totally worth the wait!

Once you have secured the egg in the cup of vinegar, set it in a place that is safe from curious children and pets and wait for two days for the vinegar to work its magic on the egg.

It’s a good idea to periodically check on the egg and make sure the spoon hasn’t shifted and that the egg is still completely submerged in the vinegar.

Also, try to rotate the egg so that the same part of the egg is not touching the side of the cup.

You will notice little tiny bubbles forming on the shell of the egg and eventually the egg will start to become almost transparent as the vinegar dissolves the shell and leaves the membrane intact on the egg.

If you decided to use two eggs like we did (a white egg and a brown egg) then this is a fun step to compare the differences now that the shells have dissolved.

From our experience, the brown shelled egg still had a darker tint to it when the shell dissolved, but it was actually more transparent and easier to see the yoke inside than the white egg.

The white shelled egg left a bit of white residue on the membrane that made it a little bit harder to see through the flexible and transparent membrane.

Step 5: Wash The Egg With Water

Now that you have patiently watched and waited for your egg to transform from a hard-shelled egg to a rubber-like bouncy ball for two days, give it a good rinse in some water!

As you gently pull the egg out of the vinegar it will feel a little bit slimy and squishy. Rinse it off with water to get some of the leftover residue from the dissolved shell to come off the membrane.

You might want to use your fingers to gently rub the slimy residue off while running the egg under the water. When the egg is cleaned it should feel rubbery and bouncy, but won’t be gross and slimy anymore!

Step 6: Play With Your New Bouncy Egg

Okay, you have earned your chance to play with your new bouncy egg! Just make sure you have any items you care about cleared off the counter and begin bouncing and squeezing your egg!

You can even challenge your friends to see who can drop their egg from the highest height without it bursting open!

You will soon discover that although the egg is bouncy and flexible, it is still fragile enough to burst if you bounce it too hard!

I think I was lucky enough to bounce mine from about 6 inches off the countertop before it burst and left a sticky egg mess on the table.

Science Behind the Bouncing Egg Experiment

The magical science behind turning a raw egg into a bouncing egg is thanks to the reaction of the vinegar with the calcium carbonate that the egg shell is made of.

The calcium carbonate of the egg shell reacts with the vinegar in a very similar way that baking soda reacts to vinegar, but instead of an explosive reaction, we see a very slow reaction as tiny bubbles form on the egg shell.

If you are looking for the more explosive version of the classic baking soda and vinegar reaction check out this Baking Soda and Vinegar Balloon Experiment , but for now let’s get back to how to make a bouncy egg!

The carbon dioxide in the egg shell is released in the reaction with the vinegar and this is what creates the little tiny bubbles all over the surface of the egg shell.

After a couple of days in the vinegar, the carbon has all been released from the egg shell and it has caused the egg shell to be weakened and dissolved into the vinegar.

The thin membrane between the shell and the actual white and yoke of the egg remains intact and keeps the form of the egg together.

The membrane allows the vinegar to pass into it, but not out of the membrane and that is why the egg nearly doubled in size as well as became very squishy after sitting in vinegar for 48 hours.

So without the hard shell on the outside, the flexible membrane is exposed and gives the egg the ability to bounce and feel like rubber…until it is bounced too hard and it pops!

PIN THIS EXPERIMENT FOR LATER

More Fun Science Experiments For Kids:

• Balloon and Glass Experiment
• Color Changing Milk Experiment
• How to Make Instant Snow

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Home » Articles » STEM » STEM Science » How to make bouncy and glowing Egg

How to make bouncy and glowing Egg

What can we do with an egg great omelet for one but did you know that this frail-looking egg is actually very durable  we will show you how to explore its properties and make a fun toy out of it in this cool egg in the vinegar experiment, article contents.

If you are looking for some fun and easy kitchen science experiment, the naked egg experiment is the right one for you. It has a great teaching power and your children will learn a lot about how cells in all living organisms work. All we need is some common kitchen supplies and we will be able to look inside of an egg, see what hides behind that thick shell and play some fun games afterward.

Anatomy of an Egg

The main parts of an egg are a shell, membrane, albumen (egg white) and yolk . 

Eggshell is made primarily out of calcium carbonate crystals (95-97%) which are connected by a protein matrix. That protein matrix gives strength to a shell, without them shell could break apart. Eggshell is protecting an egg from mechanical damage but also bacteria and dust.

The membrane is made out of proteins and it protects the inner part of an egg from bacterial infections. There are actually two membranes: outer and inner and they are surprisingly strong.

Albumen or egg white consists of 40 different proteins in addition to water (90%). Its main purpose is to provide additional nutrition to the embryo as well as protecting it. The yolk is the main source of nutrition for an embryo. It consists of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fat and some water.

The science behind the naked egg experiment

If we soak an egg in vinegar, we will start an acid-base reaction. The acetic acid from vinegar reacts with calcium carbonate (base) from an eggshell. Products of that reaction are calcium acetate, water , and carbon dioxide . 

You can notice bubbles forming on the eggshell surface, that’s the sign of newly created carbon dioxide. After some time, the shell is completely dissolved and all that keeps an egg together are its membranes.

After the hard, outer shell is dissolved, the egg becomes translucent (hence, the name “naked egg”) and when we put an egg on the source of light, it looks like it’s glowing and we can see the yolk inside. All that is keeping the egg together is a thin membrane called a semipermeable membrane.  

This is important for the next side effect of putting the egg in vinegar. You will notice how an egg becomes a little bigger. That is because of some of the water in the vinegar solution (even the strongest household vinegar is made from more than 80% of water) traveled trough the egg semipermeable membrane to equalize the concentration of water inside and outside of the egg. The process of water traveling through a semipermeable membrane is called osmosis and is characteristic of all living beings.

On the other hand, if we put our naked egg into corn syrup, the egg will shrink. That is because corn syrup has a lower concentration of water and water would move from inside of an egg to equalize the water concentration.

If you are interested in watching how we did it, check the video for making the bouncy egg at the start of the article. Or if you prefer reading, continue with step by step instructions below.

Materials needed for naked egg experiment

• Source of light (flashlight, mobile phone)

Instructions for bouncy glowing egg

• Carefully put an egg into a glass.
• Pour vinegar over it, it should cover an egg completely. Instead of vinegar, we can use cola, rubbing alcohol or orange juice since they are acidic enough. They should produce the same effect. Leave it for at least 24h, depending on vinegar strength (9% takes 24h). If the egg is fresh it will probably rise up, so try to rotate it gently using a spoon. 
• After 24h, remove an egg from the solution. Rinse it with water.

Congratulations! You now have a rubbery, transparent egg. This is also commonly called the naked egg.  Experiment with it! How high can it bounce? Can it survive 1m fall? We advise you to do your experiments outside! 🙂

If you put your naked egg on the source of light, you will see a cool glowing egg! In addition to that, you can investigate the anatomy of an egg, since you can see parts of an egg very clearly through the transparent membrane.

What will you develop and learn

• Anatomy of an egg
• Chemical reactions
• Scientific method

Don’t forget to experiment! Discover new things you can do with your egg and keep notes on all your findings. That’s the best way to learn! We would like to hear all about your experiments, so share in a comment.

And if you are interested in more similar STEM activities, check out a simple but great orange density experiment . Also, be sure to check how to demonstrate osmosis with gummy bears and learn about pressure with can crush experiment .

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Try This: Make a Bouncy Egg

Looking for an egg-cellent way to explore osmosis and acid-base chemical reactions? This is a fun kitchen activity that takes time, not thyme, and a couple of things you can probably find at home.

Here’s what you need:

• A glass or jar
• Time — This activity will take about two days! You’ll only need to spend a couple minutes with it each day. The chemical reaction will take some time, though.
• To take this activity further, you’ll also need corn syrup. You might not think you have any in your pantry, but don’t give up so soon — many pancake syrups are made of corn syrup. If you’re not a maple syrup-purist, you might be in luck! Food coloring is also a fun addition.

Here’s what you do:

1. Fill a jar with vinegar, and gently place a whole raw egg inside. Don’t crack the egg! Watch as bubbles immediately form around the egg!

2. Wait 24 hours, then replace the vinegar with new vinegar. When discarding the used vinegar, be careful with the egg. Has the egg changed in any way?

3. Wait another 24 hours. Carefully remove the egg from the vinegar. What do you notice about the egg now? Can you gently bounce it? 

What’s happening:

The shell of an egg is made of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is chemically a base , or has a higher ph than 7. Ph, which stands for the power of hydrogen, is used to indicate how acidic or basic something is.

Something that is neither acidic or basic, like pure water, has a ph of 7. Pure water is neutral . If something has a ph greater than 7, it is said to be basic. An example of a base around your home is baking soda. Vinegar has ph far lower than 7, so it’s an acid.

When acids and bases meet, there’s a chemical reaction called a neutralization reaction because the two differing things move closer to neutral. In the case of the vinegar and eggshell, you may have noticed that bubbles began forming as soon as the two met. 

Over the course of 24 hours you may have also noticed less and less bubbles forming as the acid and base both got closer to neutral. This is why the vinegar needed to be replaced. You likely noticed a considerable change in the look and feel of the egg as well. The bubbles being formed in this reaction are carbon dioxide gas.

As the reaction continues the shell of the egg will completely dissolve. The membrane of the egg, found under the shell, won’t dissolve! Instead it will let some of the vinegar solution pass into the egg through a process called osmosis , and the egg will slightly swell in size. This reaction makes the egg become somewhat rubbery!

Take the experiment further! You’ll need two more items — corn syrup and a metal spoon.

After emptying the vinegar from the jar, place the egg back in and cover it with corn syrup. Gently place the spoon on top of the egg to keep it submerged. Wait 48 hours and use the spoon to retrieve the egg. Rinse it with water. You now have a shriveled up egg! This was done through osmosis, but this time the liquid water left the inside of the egg and traveled through the membrane to the surrounding syrup.

If you decide to make another bouncy egg, what would happen if you put food coloring in the vinegar? Show us your results with #SMOatHome.

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Silly Science with Simon

Science fair ideas, how to make a bouncy egg.

On the menu today - eggs! Bouncy eggs, squishy eggs, eggs that are green and eggs that glow! Whaaaat?! No way! Yep, it's true! You won't believe what you can do with eggs, a few things you can find in the kitchen and a little bit of science!

Want to know how this works? Then check out the video below!

Great Questions for a Science Fair Project

What’s the fastest way to dissolve an egg’s shell?

How does the weight of the egg change throughout this experiment?

How big will the bouncy egg grow if you leave it in water?

• For Teachers

• Everyday Activities
• Experiments

Bouncing Egg

Turn a regular egg into a bouncing egg.

• Challenging

Change Everything You Think You Know About Eggs!

We all know what happens when you drop a regular egg on the ground. When you add vinegar (and some patience), you end up with a bouncy, squishy object!

You Will Need

Jar or glass (mason jars work well, but any glass or bowl will do)

Food coloring

1 cup of vinegar

• Fill your container with about 1 cup of vinegar.
• Add about 10 drops of food coloring of your choice
• Carefully place a raw egg inside each jar. Let the eggs sit for about 48-72 hours in the vinegar and food coloring mixture.
• When the surface of the water has a weird scummy film, the eggs are ready to take out. Carefully remove the eggs from the jars and rinse them with water.
• You can gently roll and bounce the eggs to see what happens!

Experiment Extensions

• Once you have played with your egg, cut it open to observe the yolk. You should notice the yolk is still yellow, no matter what color you dyed the outside of your egg. This is because the protein content of the yolk prevents it from absorbing the color.

How it works

Through a process called osmosis, the vinegar moves through the egg’s shell. The vinegar dissolves the calcium in the egg’s shell but cannot get through the membrane in the shell. This leaves behind the rubbery membrane that allows you to bounce the egg without breaking it!

Forgetful Momma

Secular Homeschooling

Bouncy Egg Experiment – Eggs in Vinegar

Science can be a lot of fun. Making a bouncy egg is fun, especially since we all have experienced what happens when you drop an egg on the floor and what kind of mess that makes, but what if it didn’t make a huge mess? What if instead, it bounced back. We always enjoy science experiments in our homeschool and the learning that comes from them.

*This post may contain affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.*

What you need:

• jars or glasses
• raw eggs (we used farm fresh)

How to Make a Bouncy Egg:

In our original experiment, we put an egg in a jar of vinegar – on the left, and an egg in a jar of water – on the right. My girls noticed the bubbles around the vinegar egg.

We used small jars so that we could screw the lids on tight to avoid a smell. Then we put them on the counter and waited. And waited. Then to our disappointment forgot, we forget each and every time that we do this experiment.

Chicken Life Cycle

What Happens When You Forget

Everything I read said to leave them for 72 hours. We left ours for at least 100. Yes, much longer. But we held out hope. Hope that it was still going to work, that there was going to be a bounce.

Now, the bubbly film on top of the vinegar is normal, but our looks a little odd because this was a fresh, unwashed chicken egg, straight from the nesting box.

We took our vinegar egg out. It was bigger than the regular (water) egg. And missing a crucial part of an egg – the shell. We had a naked egg.

Holding the egg seemed quite odd, it was like a rubber egg, and tougher than it seemed. We all handled it, and it didn’t break.  It did however fail the bounce test. My kids had a good laugh at it, and then we checked out of the membrane.

What Happens When You Remember

I redid the experiment with much better results. I set an alarm on my phone this time , labeled it so I would know why it was going off.

When left in the vinegar for only 72 hours you had to rub then rinse the shell off of it. I used a slow flow of water, just in case. And we got a naked eg g, just like we did with the original really long vinegar soak.

We all handled this egg as well, and it didn’t break. And then came the bounce test. It worked! It worked, I bounced it a number of times, before it broke. I call this egg and vinegar experiment a success.

Make a Bouncy Egg

Did you know you can make an egg bounce?? You can with just vinegar.

Instructions

• Place your egg in a jar and fill with vinegar to cover the egg.
• When left in the vinegar for only 72 hours, you simply rub then rinse the shell off of it the egg membrane. I used a slow flow of water, just in case.
• Now you get to test it out with a bounce.

Shrink an Egg

Want to take this science experiment a step further? You can shrink, or dehydrate your shell-less eggs now. Check out this science experiment to learn more.

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HEART PUMPING JAR SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

Why Do Leaves Change Color- Autumn Science

Bouncy Egg Science Experiment for Kids

Sharing is caring!

Bouncy Egg Experiment: Did you know that you could make an egg bounce? Try the Bouncy Egg science experiment and see how it works!

This simple science experiment is a fun and not so messy way to explore eggs without their shells!

Items Needed for Bouncy Eggs:

• White Vinegar
• Food Dye if Desired
• Bouncy Egg Science Printables

How to Make Bouncy Eggs:

This experiment takes 48-72 hours so it will require kids be at an age to manage that level of patience.

1. Place egg in a tall clear container with a wide mouth. The egg will expand with time so a wide mouth container is important . Cover the egg with vinegar.

2. Have kids observe the eggs. Take note of what they see. Are there bubbles? What does the shell look like? Is the egg getting bigger? Smaller? Sinking? Floating?

3. After 24 hours change the vinegar. Be very careful not to poke a hole in the shell while doing this. Cover the egg with fresh vinegar and let sit for another 2-3 days!

We accidently poked a hole in a shell of one of three eggs we had included in this science experiment.

While it did make that egg unable to bounce it was still pretty cool for observation.

So, it was a fail…but, it was a really cool way to see what the inside of an egg looks like!

4. In a couple of days, the shell should be completely gone! Gently rinse the eggs with warm water and explore their fun { yet delicate } membrane that covers the egg.

You’ve successfully made an egg without a shell. Now to see if it can BOUNCE!

  Bouncing eggs experiment #kbn #sharescience #scienceisfun #scienceforkids #scienceexperiment #homeschoollife #handsonlearning #captureplay #parentingchaos #preschool #snowdayideas #momsoninstagram #preschoolathome A video posted by Stephanie (Parenting Chaos) (@pixilatedskies) on Feb 17, 2015 at 1:08pm PST

How Bouncy Eggs Work:

The shell of an egg is made of calcium carbonate. When you place the egg into the vinegar, you see bubbles, which is the chemical reaction of the acid in the vinegar reacting with the calcium carbonate to produce carbon dioxide. You’ll also notice that the egg gets larger as it sits in the vinegar. That is because some of the vinegar is absorbed in the egg through its semi-permeable membrane!

Just be careful…even though it bounces and squishes, it can still break!

Super simple and FUN science!

Extend Learning with This Bouncy Egg Observation Packet

More fun science experiments.

To find more simple science activities you can do at home, as well as tips on how to encourage a love of science in your child, make sure to swing over and check out our Science Activities for Kids Page .

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Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment – How to Make a Bouncy Egg

Mar 31,2023 by Edulab

Are you ready to take your egg game to the next level?

With a few simple supplies and a bit of patience, you can turn a regular raw egg into a bouncy ball-like object. This is a great experiment to do with kids or for anyone who loves a good science experiment.

Supplies needed:

• Glass or Jar
• White Vinegar

Instructions:

Step 1 – Get a raw egg and carefully place it into a glass or jar. Then fill the glass with white vinegar until the egg is completely submerge

Step 2 – Leave the egg in the glass for 2-3 days*. Each day, check back on the egg. Make some observations.

• Do you notice any changes to the egg?
• Is anything happening to the vinegar?

Write down your observations each day.

After about 3 days, the egg will start to become translucent, and you will know it is ready to move to step 3.

*You can speed up the process by changing the vinegar halfway through.

Step 3 – Carefully remove the egg from the glass and rinse it under some tap water. While rinsing the egg, gently rub the outside of the egg, and the white film will come off, leaving you with a translucent egg. Examine the egg and make some observations.

• Does the egg look different from when you started the experiment?
• Does the egg feel different?
• Perhaps you notice that it feels rubbery (like a bouncy ball).

Write down your observations.

Step 4 – Over a plate or other container, lift the egg 1-2 inches in the air, let go, and watch it bounce. Make some observations.

• What happens to the egg?
• Does it bounce?
• Is this different than what you expected?

Step 5 – When you are ready for some messy fun, lift the egg a little higher in the air and let it go… SPLAT!

So, what’s happening here?

The vinegar in the glass is acetic acid, which reacts with the calcium carbonate in the eggshell, producing carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas creates the bubbles you see forming on the eggshell when you first place it in the vinegar. Over time, the reaction causes the eggshell to dissolve, leaving behind the egg’s membrane. This membrane gives the egg its rubbery texture, and the lack of a hard shell allows the egg to bounce like a ball.

In conclusion, the Egg in Vinegar Science Experiment is a fun and educational way to explore chemical reactions and the properties of eggs. Kids and adults alike will love seeing the transformation of a raw egg into a bouncy ball-like object. Just be prepared for a little bit of messiness!

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EGGSperiment: The Bouncing Egg

This activity has been done in every science classroom in the country, but that is because it is SO COOL. And you can do it right in your own kitchen just in time for Easter with materials you already have in your fridge and pantry.  Everyone in the family will love experimenting with ‘the bouncing egg’ and you will never look at Easter egg decorating the same again!

LEARN SCIENCE VOCABULARY:

Yolk –  the yellow part inside the egg. It is there to feed a growing embryo IF the egg was fertilized ( eggs from the grocery store are NOT fertilized and cannot hatch into a chick! ).

Membrane – the very thin covering under the shell of an egg. Our skin is also a membrane, and there are also thinner membranes lining our internal organs.

Osmosis – the process of a liquid ( like water) moving through a membrane to create equal concentrations of materials on both sides.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Eggs ( brown eggs are fun to use because the darker color of the shell helps you see it as it comes off )
• White vinegar
• Cups ( just large enough for your egg )
• Food coloring
• Corn Syrup ( optional )

HOW TO MAKE IT: (Don’t be too shocked at how easy this is to do…)

• Let the egg sit for about 48 hours ( or longer…some say to change the vinegar after a day, but I was too busy to remember that and the eggs turned out fine anyway! )  Have the kids check it periodically and make observations ( use senses of sight, smell and touch ) about what is happening to the egg.  What do they think will happen to the egg when all of the shell is removed?

• Have kids make observations about the egg and the MEMBRANE that holds it together.  You will also be able to see the YOLK fairly clearly inside, especially if you hold the egg up to a light.

GOING FURTHER: 

You can color your naked eggs by placing them into a cup of water tinted with food coloring.  After about 6 hours take your eggs out and see their vibrant colors!  The colored water has actually permeated through the egg MEMBRANE through the process of OSMOSIS, coloring the inside of the egg as well.

If you want to keep going with this awesome activity, put your naked and colorful eggs into a cup and cover them with corn syrup.  Let them sit overnight and observe what happens!

The water from inside the egg has moved out into the cup through the process of OSMOSIS.  You will be able to see the water floating on top of the corn syrup in the cup.

AND THEN… you can turn them back into big rubbery eggs by soaking them in water again!  The fun seriously never ends with this one.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT:

Removing the Shell : Vinegar ( a.k.a. acetic acid if you want to get science-y ) breaks down the eggshell ( made of a material called calcium carbonate ) through a chemical reaction that releases Carbon Dioxide gas ( which you can see in the form of bubbles coming off the egg as soon as it hits the vinegar ).  This is very similar to how acidic food and drinks can break down tooth enamel over time!  [Check out  Bubbly Designs: a baking soda and vinegar activity  if you want to learn more about chemical reactions with vinegar.].

Coloring, Growing, and Shrinking the Egg : The egg will get bigger and absorb color as it soaks in the cup of colored water because some of the water from the vinegar is moving into the egg through the its MEMBRANE ( this is called OSMOSIS) .  Water will move in or out of a MEMBRANE in order to equalize the concentrations of salts and other materials on both sides of that MEMBRANE.  Because corn syrup has a high concentration of these materials, the water from inside the egg moves out of the MEMBRANE and into the cup of corn syrup, causing the egg to appear shrunken and wrinkly! When you put it back in a cup of clear water, OSMOSIS works the other way and water moves back into the egg.

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7 comments add yours.

Oh my, this looks like a fun and teachable experiment! Will surely do it this weekend 💜 http://www.babblingbeautyblog.com

Thanks for your comment! Get your eggs soaking now so they are bouncing by the weekend! :). And post some pics on how it goes…

Ohhh this looks so cool and fun, but I am vegan..I don’t think I bring myself to use an egg this way. Maybe I can track down a farmer who I know treats his chickens well and give it a shot, haha.

This is experiment is so cool. I can’t wait until my kids get old enough to try it with them.

Thanks for your comment! I would say by 3 years old they can follow directions well enough to bounce the eggs and enjoy watching them grow and shrink…just be sure you can keep the mess contained, because when the eggs finally pop it can get a bit gross! 🙂

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We’re almost there, my kiddos are 1 & 2. I think I would enjoy doing it now in my own lol.

This looks so fun! I never got to do this school but I’ll definitely try this out when my daughter is a little older. Thanks for sharing at #fridayfrivolity! Xx

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Glowing Bouncy Egg Experiment

What could be better than making a naked bouncing egg ?! Making a glowing one, of course!  This bouncy egg experiment teaches little scientists about egg anatomy and osmosis and takes just a few minutes to set up.  It seriously egg-citing!

And speaking of excitement, our 30 Science Experiments are kid-approved and loaded with fun!

Getting Ready

To prep, I first gathered my supplies:

• An egg (one for each highlighter color)
• Clear glass
• Highlighters

Bouncy Egg Experiment

Making a glowing bouncy egg is surprisingly simple – the hardest part is having to wait.

To start, we took the polyester cylinder out of the highlighter and squeezed it to extract as much of the ink as we could.  The easiest way was to use our fingers, so be prepared for a little mess.

Next, my 3 year-old, Q, very carefully added a raw egg to each of the glasses.  Then, we covered them with white vinegar.  The pink and orange solutions were very bright, but the solution with the yellow highlighter turned almost clear when the vinegar was added.

Now that the bouncy egg experiment was underway, all we had to do was wait.  We could see bubbles forming on the surface of the egg almost immediately, but we had to wait a couple of days to see the real results.

Two days later, we checked on our eggs and found that the shells had disintegrated.  He gently rubbed the shell with his fingers to reveal the membrane below.

Q was really curious about the egg’s membrane and where it was located in a raw egg.  So, I cracked an egg on a plate and showed him that the membrane is normally stuck right on the inside of the shell.

I rinsed the other eggs under the sink and passed them to Q for some bouncing.  I brought out the black light to see how the highlighter affected the egg.

We were surprised that the pink and orange highlighters didn’t make the eggs glow.  The yellow highlighter, which we thought wouldn’t work when it turned clear, glowed a bright green.

After squishing and squeezing each egg, Q couldn’t wait to bounce them.  He discovered really quickly that the eggs will break if thrown hard enough!

You can see the yolk is still intact and the membrane that helped the rubbery egg bounce is laying next to the yolk.  Q was pretty sad he popped all three of his eggs.  But since this bouncy egg experiment is so simple to set up, it took just a few minutes to get a new bouncy egg started again.

The Science Behind It

When you leave the egg in vinegar, the acetic acid in the vinegar breaks down the calcium carbonate shell, producing the tiny carbon dioxide gas bubbles you see.

Once the egg shell dissolves, the egg expands slightly because the membrane is semi-permeable. That means it allows some things to pass through it.  This process is called osmosis.

Some of the water with the highlighter ink passes through the membrane into the egg and causes it to swell and glow.  In the picture below, the first 3 eggs have their shell removed and the last egg is a regular raw egg.

Osmosis is the movement of a liquid, like water, across a membrane.  Membranes like to be balanced on both sides.  The vinegar solution is mostly water with only a little vinegar and ink in it, while inside the membrane is protein with a little water. So, the glowing water molecules travel from the vinegar into the egg to try to balance the concentrations. The egg expands and glows!

More Simple Science with Major “Wow!” Factor

Want to step up your science game?! Download  30 of our favorite science experiments PLUS a corresponding science journal for young scientists!

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