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How to Peel a Raw Egg
Posted on 8th Mar 2011 | In Science With Mom! Blog
Say what?
Peel an uncooked egg?
Isn’t that impossible?!
Apparently not. Ali and I had scrambled eggs for dinner so I decided to do some science for kids using a hen’s egg. One fun, QUICK exercise is to peel an uncooked egg by using household vinegar. As usual I’m doing “science in seconds” (aka: science rush job) in between five hundred other things. So this better be fast.
This is my kind of science cuz let’s face it; the kid’s homework is getting out of hand. It’s crazy! So much homework and so meaningless that I’m considering becoming a HOMESCHOOLER. You see, if I was a teacher, I wouldn’t give any homework at all. This is probably why I’m not a teacher.
Jokes aside, I must say, that I’m in AWE of the families that actively take ownership of their children’s education and homeschool their kids. These families are the real heroes of Science With Me! First and foremost, Science With Me! strives to instill a love of science.
That’s why I started this whacky blog!; to remind myself that SCIENCE IS FUN!
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. Let’s start.
Aim
To peel a raw egg.
Stuff You Will Need
One kid + Mom + Faith in science
Clear vinegar
Uncooked egg
Plastic jar with a lid
What to Do
Fill the jar with some vinegar.
Gently place the uncooked egg into the vinegar without cracking the egg. The egg must be covered completely with vinegar.
Place the lid on the jar.
Monitor what happens to the egg over the next 24 to 48 hours. (Do not shake or move the jar)
Egg in Jar
What’s the deal?
Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate and the chemical name for vinegar is acetic acid. When acetic acid (vinegar) reacts with calcium carbonate (eggshell), the eggshell gradually dissolves and carbon dioxide bubbles form. Immediately after the egg was placed into the vinegar, bubbles (carbon dioxide) formed on the surface of the egg and increased in number over time.
See…
It's Melting!
After 24 to 48 hours, the shell should have been removed from the egg. You may need to gently wipe the shell off the egg with a paper towel or place it under running water for a few seconds. (I did).
While delicate, the egg’s contents stays together with a very thin see-through membrane around the outside.
Egg with no shell; Translucent Orb
Apparently, the reaction is:
2 CH3 COOH + CaCO3 -> Ca (CH3 COO)2 + H20 + CO2
CRIKEY!!!
Will I be forgetting this formula?….you betcha! I just put it in there because it looks impressive…right?
Okkkkkkayyyyyy, let’s move swiftly on
Conclusion
You can peel a raw egg…Wow! Honestly, the longer I live…
This might just be my new party piece. That and tap-dancing in my bikini. (A very frightening sight indeed).
Essentially you “peel” the egg by dissolving the shell with vinegar. Ali LOVED this experiment. I let her do all the pouring of water and vinegar (she said she felt important) and then she could see the results in a very definite way.
The egg retains its oval shape and becomes a squashy, translucent, sponge-like orb…perfect for drawing a face on! (which of course is the real point of the exercise).
Here’s mine.
ohhhhhh...I don't need a hairbrush
Please send me your EGG FACE’s using the form below. The best one will be posted on the Science With Me! website (achieve world fame) and the winner receives a Science With Me! video of their choice!
Be careful when drawing your face because the membrane is very fragile and can burst or puncture easily…
I won’t post the picture of my kitchen floor after this orb burst! Not pretty. Much kitchen roll required.
Ok, that’s science for kids scratched off the to-do list…It’s time to do the laundry.
Science With Mom!
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Thanks for sharing it with us,not like other people who wants to keep it for them self and also tell Ali that she have the greatest mom ever ‘HAPPY VALENTINE’
Thanks a lot for sharing this beautifull science project on the net its a great help keep on doing the good work.
I like your science project, it’s cool and very easy to do it. I hope you post any science projects that come to your mind .THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK.
This looks like great fun! I wanted to find out whether it really has to be clear vinegar, or it’s just that if it’s clear you can see what is happening more easily? Vinegar is not something I usually buy but I think I have some left-over cider vinegar in the cupboard which is light-brown colour – do you think that will still work in the same way?
Hi Sarah I think your cider vinegar will be fine as it is the acidic properties of the vinegar we are after. Try it and see though and let me know. Science is always interesting and unpredictable
This looks like great fun! I wanted to find out whether it really has to be clear vinegar, or it’s just that if it’s clear you can see what is happening more easily? Vinegar is not something I usually buy but I think I have some left-over cider vinegar in the cupboard which is light-brown colour – do you think that will still work in the same way?
Hi Sarah I think your cider vinegar will be fine as it is the acidic properties of the vinegar we are after. Try it and see though and let me know. Science is always interesting and unpredictable
wow! what an experiment
wow! what an experiment
i am going to do this!
i am going to do this!
LOl love it awesome!!
LOl love it awesome!!
cool experiment!lol!
cool experiment!lol!
Hi, this is really cool! My Mum has a chicken that occasionally lays eggs like this, the kids think they’re pretty cool! Just one thing… if you’re wanting to be really scientific, the caption “it’s melting” is a little misleading, as a student teacher I found your site when searching for resources for a dissolving unit. One thing we are very clear about trying to teach the kids is that melting and dissolving are most definitely not the same thing. Melting always requires heat and can be only one substance, dissolving requires a solvent (the vinegar) and a solute (the eggshell). It is a very common misconception (especially in children’s minds, but also in many adults’) that dissolving is melting. An experiment I did the other day to demonstrate the difference was dissolving some sugar in water, and melting some sugar in a pot – if you’re going to try that you’ll want to keep your children well away from the pot!
Cool blog, I’ll be saving you to my favorites!
Hi, this is really cool! My Mum has a chicken that occasionally lays eggs like this, the kids think they’re pretty cool! Just one thing… if you’re wanting to be really scientific, the caption “it’s melting” is a little misleading, as a student teacher I found your site when searching for resources for a dissolving unit. One thing we are very clear about trying to teach the kids is that melting and dissolving are most definitely not the same thing. Melting always requires heat and can be only one substance, dissolving requires a solvent (the vinegar) and a solute (the eggshell). It is a very common misconception (especially in children’s minds, but also in many adults’) that dissolving is melting. An experiment I did the other day to demonstrate the difference was dissolving some sugar in water, and melting some sugar in a pot – if you’re going to try that you’ll want to keep your children well away from the pot!
Cool blog, I’ll be saving you to my favorites!
This is really fantastic! I never thought of something as great as that!!!!!!!
This is really fantastic! I never thought of something as great as that!!!!!!!
this website is cool
Greeeaaat
That is so awesome! wow
i love this exeriment. it is interesting. TY
cool but LOL
ya that is soo stupid
I never knew that, the kid in me says I have to try this some day.
This is so cool. I’m going to have to try this. In the end, how long can the uncooked egg keep?
That is so cool. Never heard of this one before but tomorrow I will be trying it!
Glad you guys enjoyed it! It really was a fun one to do
But the egg face did burst all over my kitchen floor…arrrggghhhh
Love the face
– we did the similar “rubber egg” experiment a few months ago, but I never thought to decorate it afterwards.
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Well, I didn’t know you could do this. It looks like something that
would fascinate kids and adults alike.
That is so cool!
Nice face, LOL!