A chemical reaction is a process involving one, two or more substances called reactants, which is portrayed by a chemical change that yields one or more products that are totally different from the original reactants. The molecules attach to each other to form larger molecules, breaks apart to form two, or more, smaller molecules, or rearranges atoms within the molecules. It’s like mixing coffee and milk to produce latte. There are a lot of chemical reactions occurring every second, everywhere in the world. Chemical reactions could be very big and visible or very small that you will need a microscope to see the resulting product. A fun and simple science experiment could be done in order to see what happens when two chemicals react. In this simple science experiment, aptly titled “Soft Egg”, you will be needing one egg (raw or hard boiled to make it less messy when it accidentally breaks), one cup of vinegar, and a clear jar or glass. This simple experiment only involves two easy steps.

First, a cup of vinegar is poured into the jar. Second, the egg is added with the vinegar. All observations are recorded (Hint: bubbles will rise from the egg). The egg will be left soaked in vinegar for a day. When the egg is removed, touch and feel it then record all observations (color, texture, etc). Eggs contain a substance called calcium carbonate which makes the shell characteristically hard. Vinegar is chemically known as acetic acid. A chemical reaction takes place when calcium carbonate and acetic acid mix. It will produce a gas called carbon dioxide. The bubbles that you saw rising from the egg was carbon dioxide. The chemical reaction will continue to take place until all of the carbon in the egg is used up, usually about a day. The egg will become soft because all of the carbon went out of the egg into those bubbles. To reverse the process, the same egg is left out on a table for another day. The calcium left in the egg shell will steal back the carbon from the carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere. If raw egg was used, it can be placed in water after the shell has softened.

The shell will absorb water and expand via osmosis until the shell finally ruptures. Isn’t it fun? Do you want a similar experiment? Another variation of this simple science experiment is the “Knotted Bones” experiment. Instead of eggs, you will be using chicken bones. You see, eggs and bones are both made up of calcium carbonate. Similarly, thin pieces of chicken bones are dropped in vinegar for a day. They are then taken out and will be soft just like the egg shells were. Tie them in a knot (think pretzels), just like a piece of string and leave them out on a table until they get hard again. Present these “knotted bones” to your relatives and friends and try to let them guess or explain how you did it. Or better yet, teach them yourself!