Bending Bones (Skeletal Structure)

 

What happens when you add an acid to a bone?

We took a bone we found outside, rinsed it clean and added it to a jar with vinegar. Then we hypothesized what will happen to that bone with the acid added. If you have chicken bones, feel free to keep and dry these out for this experiment.

"It will change colour."

"It will dissolve."

"It will get smaller."

Day One. Nothing much to note, but lots of poking and prodding.

Day Two. The water was quite murky, so we opted to change the vinegar. After touching the bone, we noticed the fibrous center was becoming a little soft and spongy.

Day Three. The thinner edges of the bone were softening.

Day Four. Vinegar change again and continued softening.

 

We talked about the bone losing calcium due to the acid. Once calcium begins to dissolve, the bone can no longer stay hard due to lack of the mineral. Then we proceeded to discuss what types of  foods are rich in calcium and bone-friendly. 

*Note, this experiment would be classes as 'slow science', meaning you won't see the results immediately and wait times will vary. If you want to show a comparison or have a short amount of time to demonstrate this activity, prepare the bone ahead of time and present it with a bone still retaining it's calcium content.