Do you have a little extra vinegar? Then you might want to try out one of these fun experiments. Vinegar is a fermented acid that has been used in cooking and medicine for thousands of years. Now you can use it to conduct a few fun tests.
Vinegar is a safe acid to work with (it's even safe to eat). And its acidic properties can teach kids about erosion and other natural reactions. Keep reading for a few fun ideas you can try at home.
Advertisement
1. Turn milk to stone
When you combine the right amounts of milk and vinegar, a curd-like substance begins to form. Once separated, it becomes a flexible gel-like substance that hardens into stone-like material. It's so hard that people used to use it to make knife handles and billiards balls.
When you combine the right amounts of milk and vinegar, a curd-like substance begins to form. Once separated, it becomes a flexible gel-like substance that hardens into stone-like material. It's so hard that people used to use it to make knife handles and billiards balls.
2. Magic bendy bone
If you ever tried to bend a chicken bone, it would snap in half. Chicken bones (like human bones) contains calcium. After a week in the vinegar, a chicken bone will bend like it's made out of rubber because all of the calcium has dissolved. (Looks like Hogwarts' teachers aren't the only ones who can turn bones into rubber).
If you ever tried to bend a chicken bone, it would snap in half. Chicken bones (like human bones) contains calcium. After a week in the vinegar, a chicken bone will bend like it's made out of rubber because all of the calcium has dissolved. (Looks like Hogwarts' teachers aren't the only ones who can turn bones into rubber).
3. The incredible bouncing egg
Making an egg bounce is cool enough, but making it glow, too, is epic. When you leave an egg in the vinegar solution for three days, the vinegar eats the calcium, leaving a bouncy, squishy shell of its former self. The membrane is also see through; you can shine different colors through it. (Note: Although the egg does bounce, we learned the hard way that you should be gentle or it splats like a raw egg).
Making an egg bounce is cool enough, but making it glow, too, is epic. When you leave an egg in the vinegar solution for three days, the vinegar eats the calcium, leaving a bouncy, squishy shell of its former self. The membrane is also see through; you can shine different colors through it. (Note: Although the egg does bounce, we learned the hard way that you should be gentle or it splats like a raw egg).
4. Ice tray battery
Most people know you can make electricity from potatoes, but did you know you can light up an ice tray with a little vinegar? In this experiment, zinc and copper are both suspended in vinegar (an acidic compound). The electrical current flows from the wire through the vinegar to the nail and the light.
Most people know you can make electricity from potatoes, but did you know you can light up an ice tray with a little vinegar? In this experiment, zinc and copper are both suspended in vinegar (an acidic compound). The electrical current flows from the wire through the vinegar to the nail and the light.
5. Wash a penny
When you combine vinegar and salt, you get a seemingly magical solution that can clean even the grungiest penny. This chemical combination works because the acid in the vinegar helps soften the buildup. The salt helps break the layer of oxidation so the vinegar can do its work.
When you combine vinegar and salt, you get a seemingly magical solution that can clean even the grungiest penny. This chemical combination works because the acid in the vinegar helps soften the buildup. The salt helps break the layer of oxidation so the vinegar can do its work.
6. Firework surprise (h/t Life Over C's )
This is another of the vinegar/baking soda combinations that is just really fun to watch. The chemical reaction is exciting, but kids will love the "fireworks" display that appears when the hidden glitter comes to life.
This is another of the vinegar/baking soda combinations that is just really fun to watch. The chemical reaction is exciting, but kids will love the "fireworks" display that appears when the hidden glitter comes to life.
Advertisement