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    Home » Science Experiments for Kids » Chemistry » How to make an egg shell disappear without touching it?

    How to make an egg shell disappear without touching it?

    December 24, 2012 By Emma Vanstone 61 Comments

    We love egg experiments here at Science Sparks. We’ve investigated air pressure using eggs, transformed egg whites, tested how strong an egg shell is, and even made eggs shrink. Today however, we’re going to find out how to make an egg shell disappear.

    How to dissolve an egg shell

    You will need:

    An egg

    A glass

    White vinegar ( malt vinegar also works )

    Instructions

    1. Place the raw egg in a glass or small bowl.

    egg in a glass of vinegar
    Cover with White vinegar

    2. Cover the egg with white vinegar, make sure the whole egg is covered.

    Q: What do you noticing happening?

    A: You should see bubbles collect around the shell (a sign that a chemical reaction is taking place)

    3. Leave for 24 hours.

    4. Rinse the egg and place back in the vinegar if shell still remains.

    egg soaking in a bowl of vinegar to remove the shell
    See the residue collect and the shell come away?
    How to get an egg yolk without cracking the shell - Science Sparks
    The whole egg in tact!
    dissolve an eggshell
    I should not have tried lifting it out!

    You should now be able to see shell residue in the vinegar and the yolk whole in the egg white. If you still see white residue on the egg you can rub this off lightly with your finger. I tried to lift the whole egg out of the vinegar but broke the membrane, but it is possible to lift it out whole.

    Naked Egg - egg with no shell as the shell has been dissolved by vinegar

    Make an egg shell disappear – what happens?

    Egg shell is made up of calcium carbonate which is dissolved by acids ( in this case vinegar ).  The inside of the egg remains intact because the vinegar doesn’t break down the egg membrane.

    The egg will also swell up, because some of the liquid seeps inside it via osmosis. You should be able to see the yellow yolk through the membrane. It really is quite incredible.

    You can use the same method to make a bouncy egg.

    Image of a hand holding an egg shell

    Last Updated on March 1, 2022 by Emma Vanstone

    « Fun with Frost
    Science Sparks – 2012 »

    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

    Comments

    1. Ali

      January 16, 2012 at 10:30 am

      wow I never knew that could happen, will be trying this at home.

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 16, 2012 at 8:00 pm

        Great! Let me know if you manage to keep the egg whole. 🙂

        Reply
        • Tara

          June 20, 2014 at 12:57 pm

          If you leave the egg for 48 hours then the shell is gone but the membrane is still entacted. The egg can be taken out & even bounces a little-not too much because it will break. My 4yr old daughter loved it.

          Reply
    2. Erin @ Making Memories

      January 16, 2012 at 4:36 pm

      This is so cool! My kids will love this!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 16, 2012 at 8:00 pm

        It is so easy and effective, but put is somewhere that you don’t mind the vinegar smell!

        Reply
    3. angeliquefelix

      January 16, 2012 at 7:43 pm

      Very cool! you are my science star, i truely learn a lot from you!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 16, 2012 at 7:59 pm

        Oh I love being called a star! Thank you very much. Glad you like it!

        Reply
    4. The Iowa Farmer's Wife

      January 16, 2012 at 8:40 pm

      This is too cool!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 17, 2012 at 1:23 pm

        Its fab isn’t it?

        Reply
    5. maryanne @ mama smiles

      January 17, 2012 at 10:51 pm

      This is a great experiment! Beautifully photographed, too =)

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 18, 2012 at 8:29 pm

        Thanks you, I had some assistance this time.

        Reply
    6. elliemorrell

      January 18, 2012 at 5:07 pm

      Just hopped over from Kid’s Get Crafty Link up – Wow – What a great experiment. Thanks for sharing.

      Ellie

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 18, 2012 at 8:28 pm

        thank you!

        Reply
    7. maggy,red ted art

      January 18, 2012 at 5:52 pm

      Well I never! So what does Vinegar do to our stomachs.. eeek!

      Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!

      Maggy

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 18, 2012 at 8:28 pm

        Luckily we have not got any calcium carbonate to react with and it contain hydrochloric acid in it anyway to digest food, so it is used to acids. x

        Reply
    8. Deceptively Educational

      January 19, 2012 at 1:36 pm

      this is SO cool! I’m going to share this with my blog’s FB followers. Thanks (as always) for sharing the coolest experiments!

      Reply
    9. Natalie

      January 21, 2012 at 12:33 am

      This is a fun and simple experiment! I am going to do it here (while husband is away and doesn’t mind the egg floating around for 5 days). And now I am following your terrific site in Google reader.

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        January 26, 2012 at 8:16 pm

        thank you x

        Reply
    10. Laura

      January 23, 2012 at 4:43 am

      Cool and interesting. I love how smart you are! Thanks for sharing at Monday Madness. Hope to see you again tomorrow!

      Reply
    11. anne

      January 23, 2012 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks! Did this with my 5 & 3 year old. They loved to watch the shell dissolve, then handle the squishy egg. We extended the experiment, next soaking the egg in corn syrup (to draw out the water), then water tinted blue (which made the egg expand), then salt water (floating & dessicating). Finally broke it open to find a green yolk. We are starting it again this week — got to figure out what our soaking liquids will be.

      Reply
    12. st=6

      April 01, 2012 at 7:58 pm

      I’ve tried this with boiled eggs before so the children can touch it to feel the difference. I’ll have to try a raw one too.

      Reply
      • stephen

        April 15, 2012 at 5:07 pm

        Just to make sure…can we still cook and eat the result? (Maybe not, but I wanted to ask.)
        Thanks!

        Reply
        • ScienceSparks

          April 15, 2012 at 7:53 pm

          The membrane should have protected the inside of the egg 🙂 Not sure of the best way to cool it though!

          Reply
    13. Susanne

      July 19, 2012 at 4:04 am

      If you don’t want to smell the vinegar put the egg and vinegar in a Ziplock baggie. Then put the baggie in a clear glass. This way you can still see what is happening without the intense smell! 🙂

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        July 23, 2012 at 6:50 am

        What a good idea!

        Reply
    14. Maggie Mills

      July 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm

      We did this with two eggs, one in colored vinegar and one in plain vinegar. We just covered each cup with plastic wrap and it didn’t smell at all. When we were done marveling over the results and playing with the eggs we took the colored one outside and exploded it so we could see how the white had actually absorbed all the color and our yolk was still nice and yellow. Excellent experiment!

      Reply
    15. Jen

      September 22, 2012 at 1:32 pm

      We’ve tried it, left for 5 days, the shell dissolved but the membrane stayed. How do you make it dissolve too? When we cut the membrane, the egg white was very liquid (like water) and the yolk became like slightly boiled.

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        September 23, 2012 at 12:59 pm

        the membrane is meant to stay on, our just broke! xx

        Reply
    16. Actually Mummy

      December 25, 2012 at 3:58 pm

      I loved this one! GGtook it into her class last year. It took nearly two weeks and absolutely reeked, but the kids were fascinated and GG was the coolest girl on the play ground! Glad it was Kerry’s x

      Reply
    17. Beth

      December 29, 2012 at 9:08 pm

      That looks very cool and an experiment I don’t think I could mess up!

      Reply
    18. Lauren

      January 21, 2013 at 1:05 am

      Thanks for this, tried this with my son and he loved trying this out.

      Reply
    19. Brandy

      November 03, 2015 at 3:29 pm

      My daughter did this several years ago. We soaked the egg in vinegar for over a week. The egg membrane did not break when taken out of the vinegar. In fact, we could lightly bounce it on the table.
      The reverse osmosis would be to take that naked vinegar soaked egg and submerge it in corn syrup for a couple of days. The end result will be an empty egg because all the liquid is pulled out of it. You can repeat this process over and over. Really is pretty neat.

      Reply
      • Brandy

        November 03, 2015 at 3:30 pm

        I will add that she did this for a science fair project. She won 1st place in her school and 2nd place in the whole county.
        =-))

        Reply
    20. Lou

      September 07, 2017 at 12:10 am

      this is such GOOD experiment to prank your friends with

      Reply
    21. Lou

      September 07, 2017 at 12:11 am

      But why doesn’t it also ‘Eat’ away the membrane?

      Reply
    22. Serenity

      May 04, 2018 at 5:50 pm

      That is such a great idea for a prank. LOL!

      Reply
    23. uhuhui uihuih

      May 15, 2018 at 11:27 pm

      Yo mama so fat, her belly button got home 15 minutes before she did!

      Reply

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