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 Do rubber chickens
have rubber bones?

You can print these instructions out by choosing "PRINT" from your browser.

You will need:

  • A jar large enough to fit a chicken bone
  • A chicken bone - a leg or "drumstick" bone works best
  • Vinegar

What to do:

    1. Have a nice chicken dinner and save a bone.

    2. Rinse off the bone in running water to remove any stuff from the bone.

    3. Notice how hard the bone is - try bending it. Like our bones, chicken bones have a mineral called calcium in them to make them hard.

    4.    Put the bone into the jar and cover the bone with vinegar. It might be a good idea to put the lid on the jar or cover it - let it sit for 3 days

    5. After 3 days remove the bone. It will feel different, and interesting. You can rinse it off and try bending it again. Is it really a rubber bone?

So what happened? What is so special about vinegar that it can make a hard bone squishy? Vinegar is considered a mild acid, but it is strong enough to dissolve away the calcium in the bone. Once the calcium is dissolved, there is nothing to keep the bone hard - all that is left is the soft bone tissue. Now you know why your mom is always trying to get you to drink milk - the calcium in milk goes to our bones to make our bones stronger. With some effort and you can really get the bone to bend. Have fun!