Well I did this experiment as a kid, (no, I was never a goat), but I still don't understand it. What exactly, (in layman's terms please), is happening when we soak a whole, raw egg in a vinegar solution? The result is a larger, rubbery, transluscent thing, but what is going on, on the molecular level?
Basically the shell (which is largely calcium carbonate, CaCO3) is dissolved by the vinegar (which is largely acetic acid, CH3COOH) to form dissolved calcium and carbon dioxide.
From Tree's link, my suspicion is that the inside of the egg is more or less uneffected and is still held together by the membrane. As her link points out, the egg swells due to osmotic pressure (the effect that equalizes the concentrations on two sides of a membrane by moving water onto the side with higher concentration).
If I notice anything more after the shell has dissolved, I'll let you know.
My egg has been soaking for more than a week and it is like rubber. It is also transluscent, so I can see the yolk inside. Very strange. I'm afraid to break in open for fear of the smell.
