Bouncing Egg – Cynthia
Physical science – Grade 5
 Outcome: MC5.2 Investigate how reversible and non-reversible changes, including changes of
state, alter materials.
 Indicator: e. Observe and classify changes as reversible (e.g., melting ice cube, dissolving salt in
water, blowing up a balloon, and folding paper) and non-reversible (e.g., paper burning, egg
cooking, bicycle rusting, balloon popping, and apple turning brown).
Materials:
 Vinegar
 Raw eggs
 Bowl or glass
 Plastic bag or something to cover the table with
Procedure:
 Take one or two eggs and put them in a bowl or glass.
 Pour enough vinegar into the bowl so that the eggs are completely covered.
 Place the bowl/jar on a table for three days where it will not be observed.
 Observe the egg every few hours or at least once per day.
 After three or four days, carefully remove the egg from the vinegar.
 Gently rinse the egg off in warm water and allow it to dry, don’t apply to much pressure or the
egg will break.
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Put down a plastic bag or cover on the table before you bounce the eggs, you could even bounce
the egg into a shallow pan or bowl.
Once the egg has dried, bounce it on a flat surface.
Start with an inch above the table, then progress higher by inches. See how high you can bounce
your egg from without it breaking.
Things to put on the board:
 Chemical reaction or change vs. physical reaction
 Difference between an acid and base
 Acetic acid
 Calcium carbonate
 Osmosis
 Membrane
Questions:
 Can we make an egg bounce?
 What is the egg shell made from?
 Is the vinegar an acid or a base?
 What happens when you put the egg in vinegar?
o What do the bubbles represent?
 Is this a chemical change or a physical change?
 How high can you bounce your egg from?
Explanation:
Day 1
Day 1
Day 2/3
Finished Result
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As you know, eggs have shells that you must remove before eating.
If you put eggs in their shells into vinegar, however, the vinegar will do the work of removing the
shell for you. The vinegar will dissolve the eggshell.
It takes three or four days for the shell to dissolve completely.
Egg shells are made from calcium carbonate CaCO3
Vinegar is an acetic acid that dissolves and breaks apart the calcium carbonate to leave a thin,
clear membrane around the egg – chemical reaction
CO2 forms as bubbles in the vinegar
When you look in the cup a few hours later, you will see white foam, which is the calcium
carbonate from the egg shell
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The egg that is in the vinegar will become bigger – this happens because some of the vinegar
enters the egg through the thin membrane that is underneath the calcium carbonate shell through
a process of osmosis.
Since the shell is dissolved, the membrane is like rubber and flexible allows the egg to bounce
Terms:
Chemical change – substances are changed into different substances. Another words, the composition of
the substance changes. Ex. – states of matter, color, release energy or absorb it, odour, produce gas or
solid, not easily reversed.
Physical change – are relatively easy to identify. If only the form of a substance changes, you have
observed a physical change. Ex. – shape, color, volume, density, size, can be reversed.
Acid – measured on ph scale, ph 0, excess of H+ ions, taste sour, ex. – vinegar.
Base – measured on ph scale, ph 14, feels slippery, excess of OH- ions, ex. – baking soda.
Acetic acid – fermentation and oxidation of carbohydrates, found in vinegar and gives it a sour taste and
sharp smell. CH3COOH
Calcium carbonate – is a white or colorless crystalline compound occurring naturally in chalk, limestone,
and marble and in the minerals calcite and aragonite. CaCO3
Osmosis – the movement of water through a membrane. In this case, vinegar molecules, and molecules of
carbon dioxide.
Membrane – The outer covering of the cell consisting of a lipid bilayer with proteins embedded in it. The
thin layer between the egg yolk and the egg shell.
Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA2lFcwiwbQ