• Question: Is it true that if you leave an egg in water for 24h it will go bouncy

    Asked by anon-258125 on 29 Jun 2020.
    • Photo: Tiffany Chan

      Tiffany Chan answered on 29 Jun 2020:

      Hi Sasha – not in water! It has to be in vinegar (or something acidic). The vinegar reacts with the egg shell (calcium carbonate) to produce carbon dioxide. It leaves behind the tough egg membrane, which feels all rubbery. You can bounce it, but not too hard – it can still break (the egg is still raw on the inside!)

    • Photo: Gulnar Abdullayeva

      Gulnar Abdullayeva answered on 29 Jun 2020:

      Hi Sasha, thanks for the interesting question.

      If you leave an egg in water 24 hours, osmosis will occur. Osmosis is a movement of water from higher water concentration to lower water concentration through a semipermeable membrane. In this case, the water will migrate from outside the egg (where water molecules are abundant) to the inside the egg (where water molecules are in lower concentration). After 24 hours, the egg will be plump again. So, the water will do nothing to the egg and keep it exactly the same.

      But, for vinegar example, as Tiffany has already explained great, it will affect the egg shell and turn the egg into rubbery substance.

      Hope it helps. Thank you.

    • Photo: Nina Rzechorzek

      Nina Rzechorzek answered on 30 Jun 2020:

      Hi Sasha – as the others have said you need vinegar for this experiment! This video explains how it all works:

    • Photo: Bilal Ahsan

      Bilal Ahsan answered on 30 Jun 2020:

      Hi Sasha,
      You already got the answers. Maybe now it’s a good time to test yourself!

    • Photo: Melanie Krause

      Melanie Krause answered on 8 Jul 2020:

      Hi Sasha,
      My fellow scientists gave it away already but maybe sneak some eggs from the fridge and try yourself (with water versus vinegar) 😉
      Have fun!

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