Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Making an explosive eggshell! (Demonstration only.)
Equipment: conical flask, stopper with a silicone hose, pin, two screwdrivers of different diameters, syringe, diluted hydrochloric acid, zinc, a shell stand (flask), plate, eggs, lighter.
Make a hole in an egg with a pin and use differently-sized screwdrivers to carefully expand it. Repeat on the opposite side. Then force the egg's contents out onto a plate. Put some zinc into a conical flask. Add some diluted hydrochloric acid. Close the flask with a cork with a silicone tube, and fill the modified eggshell with the evolved gas. Put the shell on a stand (a flask, for example) and set it on fire. The shell explodes!
The interaction of zinc and hydrochloric acid releases gaseous hydrogen. When ignited, the hydrogen in the eggshell reacts explosively with the oxygen in the air, shattering the shell.
Cool experiments are waiting for you in the MEL Chemistry subscription!
Safety precautions: Attention! All experiments are performed by professionals. Do not attempt.
Making an explosive eggshell! (Demonstration only.)
Equipment: conical flask, stopper with a silicone hose, pin, two screwdrivers of different diameters, syringe, diluted hydrochloric acid, zinc, a shell stand (flask), plate, eggs, lighter.
Make a hole in an egg with a pin and use differently-sized screwdrivers to carefully expand it. Repeat on the opposite side. Then force the egg's contents out onto a plate. Put some zinc into a conical flask. Add some diluted hydrochloric acid. Close the flask with a cork with a silicone tube, and fill the modified eggshell with the evolved gas. Put the shell on a stand (a flask, for example) and set it on fire. The shell explodes!
The interaction of zinc and hydrochloric acid releases gaseous hydrogen. When ignited, the hydrogen in the eggshell reacts explosively with the oxygen in the air, shattering the shell.
Cool experiments are waiting for you in the MEL Chemistry subscription!
Safety precautions: Attention! All experiments are performed by professionals. Do not attempt.
