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This week's LabZone activity
July 23, 2003
How to Turn a Chicken Bone into Rubber
Put a chicken bone in a glass of vinegar.
Wishbones work best, but any small bone will do. Let it soak for two days, then pour off the vinegar. Add some fresh vinegar and let it soak for two more days. The chicken bone will become as soft and flexible as rubber!
How it works:
Bones are made of hard minerals such as calcium
carbonate and a soft material called collagen.
The acid in the vinegar dissolves away the hard calcium,
leaving only the flexible collagen behind.
You can shell a hard-boiled egg the
same way—soak it in vinegar for a day or two and
the egg shell will disappear completely!
From Silly Science Tricks with
Professor Solomon Snickerdoodle by Peter Murray.
© 1993 The Child's World®.
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