Changes of eggs put into white vinegar

There are some interesting little experiments in some popular science books, such as one that puts an egg into white vinegar and water to observe the phenomena that occur. There will not be many changes when the egg is put into water, but when the egg is put into white vinegar, some very interesting phenomena will appear. The main component of eggshells is calcium, and white vinegar is ultimately an acidic component. When the two meet, a very wonderful chemical reaction will occur.

Soak an egg in vinegar: it sinks to the bottom, then floats up, then sinks again, and repeats this process over and over again. And bubbles will come out of the eggshell. The eggshell may become soft and slowly become crispy until it disappears completely. Because the eggshell is calcium carbonate, adding acid will react to produce carbon dioxide, which will adhere to the surface of the eggshell, increasing the buoyancy, and then rise. After the bubbles disappear, they sink due to gravity, and then accumulate carbon dioxide, and rise again, and so on. And the eggs bubble up under the influence of carbon dioxide.

There is no visible change on the surface of the egg in white vinegar, but you will realize its special feature when you hold it in your hand. The egg becomes very soft all over, like a rubber toy. You can knead it at will and it becomes very elastic. Even if you drop it from a relatively low height, it will not break easily. But after it breaks, you can see that the eggshell becomes like a piece of cloth and does not have the hardness of a normal egg.

The principle of softening eggs in vinegar:

The egg shell has no calcium and becomes soft naturally! Some people use this method to supplement the main component of the egg shell, which is calcium carbonate, which can react with acetic acid. The resulting calcium acetate is soluble in water, so it will become soft calcium! Just drink the vinegar that has been soaked in eggs!

Calcium carbonate and acetic acid react to produce water-soluble calcium acetate, carbon dioxide and water. Eggshells are calcium carbonate, which is hard and will not dissolve in water.

Vinegar contains acetic acid, and calcium carbonate will react in the acid to produce calcium acetate and carbon dioxide. Calcium acetate is soluble in water, and carbon dioxide is a gas. When it escapes, the egg becomes soft. The acetic acid in the vinegar reacts chemically with the calcium carbonate in the egg shell, making the egg shell soft.