By: Sebastian L. Perez

!PROBLEM!!PROBLEM!!PROBLEM!!PROBLEM! Which dissolves the shell of an egg faster: vinegar, water, water & salt, water & sugar or Coca-Cola?

!RESEARCH!!RESEARCH!!RESEARCH!!RESEARCH! Raw sugar, Coca-Cola, Vinegar and Kosher salt. Dont you ever wonder what they are made of? Well heres the scoop…. Coca-Cola is made of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, and the best part: caffeine! Raw sugar as you may know is made of sugar and Turbinado. Kosher salt is made of salt and yellow prussiate of soda. Last but not least, Vinegar is made of selected sun ripened grains, diluted with water to a uniform pickiling and table strength of 5% acidity.

HYPOTHESIS!!HYPOTHESIS!HYPOTHESIS!!HYPOTHESIS! If the egg is placed in vinegar then the egg shell will dissolve.

!Materials!!Materials!!Materials!!Materials! 1) 15 clear plastic cups 2) 15 Grade A Large Eggs 3) 1 tablespoon for measuring 4) 6 tablespoons of Raw Sugar 5) 6 tablespoons of Kosher Salt 6) 3 cans of Coca-Cola 7) 3 cups of Heinz Vinegar 8) 9 cups of Water

!procedures!!procedures!!procedures!!procedures! 1. Place 5 clear plastic cups on a table. 2. Pour 8 ounces of water into 3 cups. 3. Add 2 tablespoons of raw sugar to one cup and 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to the other; mix thoroughly. 4. Leave third cup of water alone. 5. Pour 8 ounces of vinegar in one of the last 2 cups and Coca-Cola in the last cup. 6. Add one egg to each cup. 7. Leave for 24 hours. 8. Repeat experiment 2 more times.

!variables!!variables!!variables!!variables! Controlled: eggs, cups, and amount of water Independent: the amount of kosher salt and raw sugar Dependent: how fast it takes the egg shell to dissolve

Experiment # 1

Water before and after 24 hours (1)

Water & salt Before and after 24 hours (1)

Water & sugar Before and after 24 hours (1)

Coca-cola Before and after 24 hours (1)

vinegar Before and after 24 hours (1)

Experiment # 2

Water before and after 24 hours (2)

Water & salt Before and after 24 hours (2)

Water & sugar Before and after 24 hours (2)

Coca-cola Before and after 24 hours (2)

vinegar Before and after 24 hours (2)

Experiment # 3

Water before and after 24 hours (3)

Water & salt Before and after 24 hours (3)

Water & sugar Before and after 24 hours (3)

Coca-cola Before and after 24 hours (3)

vinegar Before and after 24 hours (3)

!DaTA!!DaTA!!DaTA!!DaTA! Trial 1 TrIAl 2 Trial 3 Water No change in texture & color No change in texture & color No change in texture & color Water & salt No change in texture, shell appeared whiter Water & sugar No change in texture, light brown in color Coca –Cola Shell became porous, dark brown color Vinegar Rubbery / Jelly like texture, yellow color, shell dissolved

!results!!results!!results!!results! Well, the water did not do anything, the water and salt only cleaned the shell of the egg, the water and sugar only stained it but the Coca-Cola and vinegar, man that is where the magic happened. The Coca-Cola turned the shell dark brown, not only that but it made the shell porous. Last but not least – the vinegar. It dissolved the egg shell making the egg feel jelly like and rubbery. The egg became yellow. It was gross!

!conclusion!!conclusion! The purpose of this investigation was to find out which substance can dissolve the shell of the egg faster. My hypothesis was supported by my data. The vinegar, within a 24 hour period, was the only substance that dissolved the egg shell. A possible reason for my results could be that fact that vinegar is an acidy substance. Another of my major findings was that the Coca-Cola opened up the pores of the egg.

!aPPLICATION!!aPPLICATION!!aPPLICATION!!aPPLICATION! How can you use my investigation in your day to day life? Well its simple. An egg shell is made up of calcium-carbonate, our teeth are made up of calcium. So, if you continuously eat foods with high acidity levels, it can destroy the enamel. A new question my experiment has led me to is why is it that when the vinegar dissolves the egg shell the egg retains its shape but turns jelly-like and another question is what other types of substances can do what the vinegar did to the egg shell? I do not think that my experiment can be improved.

! BIBLIOGRAPHY!! BIBLIOGRAPHY!! BIBLIOGRAPHY!! BIBLIOGRAPHY! Sites visited on: 10/06/2011 – The following two websites were used to obtain ideas for the project. Sites visited on: 10/07/2011 – The following two websites were used to obtain information about eggs. – what is the difference between white egg shells and brown egg shells what is the shell of the egg made of

!!The end!!