Chem Project

Project :-To find the effect of vinegar on dyeing of eggs and compare it with dyed eggs. Introduction Distilled water is neutral, with a pH of 7 that is it is neither acidic nor basic. Vinegar is acidic and contains around 3% acetic acid. It is in-between tomato juice and lemon juice on the pH scale with a pH of around 2.4. When an egg is soaked in vinegar and food coloring, two things happen. First, the calcium in the eggshell reacts with the acid and produces carbon dioxide gas due to which bubbles form on the surface of the eggshell while it soaks. The shell then starts to dissolve, which increases the surface area of the egg and exposes more of the egg to the dye.

Second, proteins in the thin layer of the eggshell’s cuticle react with the acid. The proteins become protonated (i.e., they acquire extra hydrogen ions), which means that more positive charges collect on the shell’s surface. Those positive charges easily bind to the dye molecules, which are negatively charged and the dye sticks to the egg surface.

Apparatus Required 

Teaspoon

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Spoon

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3 white eggs

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3 beakers

Chemicals Required 

Distilled water

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3 teaspoons vinegar

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Food coloring

Procedure 1. Get three beakers and fill each one with 250 mL of distilled water. 2. Label one beaker “1 teaspoon vinegar”, the next “2 teaspoons vinegar”, and the last “control”. 3. Add 8-10 drops of food coloring to each beaker 4. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the first beaker and two teaspoons to the second.

5. Stir the dye mixtures with a spoon, rinsing the spoon each time. Do not allow the dye or acid from one beaker to get into another. 6. Using a spoon, place a white egg into each beaker. 7. Soak the eggs in dye for two hours. 8. Remove the eggs with a spoon. Rinse them with tap water, and lay them out on a towel to dry.

Result:Initially bubbles are seen around the eggshell due the formation of carbon dioxide. The egg that was immersed in the most vinegar is the brightest.