If you're looking to make exceptional Easter eggs this year, you've come to the right place. (From 2015)
We tested the effects of different levels of normal white vinegar, 5 percent acetic acid, on the color of a hard-boiled egg, while tracking its pH. We tested six different conditions: Pure water , a cup of water with 1/8 teaspoon of vinegar , a cup of water with 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar , a cup of water with 2 teaspoons of vinegar in it , half and half water and vinegar , and pure vinegar .
We boiled all the eggs for the same amount of time and put the same amount of food coloring in each of our cups . After a perfectly-timed 5-minute dunk for each egg, here's what we saw: Water-only was a disaster. As you could have predicted, a pH of 7 isn't acidic enough to activate the acid dye. We do get a little bit of color, which we can attribute to a low level of hydrogen bonding, along with a little bit of ionic bonding that might be going on.Then things get more interesting. Vinegar-only was good at dying the eggs a vibrant color, but it presented a different problem.
That leaves our intermediate conditions. In the end, it comes down to this: Those boxed instructions are pretty damn good. A teaspoon of vinegar per half-cup of water gives you a pH around 4, and it consistently gave us smooth color. A slightly lower pH---the half-and-half water and vinegar---created a slightly more saturated color. More protons, more hydrogen bonding, more color attaching.
If you're like me, and you still can't stand the smell of vinegar, now you have options! Lose the vinegar, and replace it with any other edible household acid, maybe the citric acid in some strained lemon juice. Then buy some cheap pH strips on Amazon, add just enough acid to get you to pH 4, and dunk away---minus the stinging nostrils.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hunting for an idea?🐰 Here’s a list of Easter activities in the Jacksonville areaNEED EASTER PLANS?🐰🥚 Check out this full list of parades, Easter egg hunts, Easter Bunny photos, Sunday services and more!
Read more »
General conference special: Jesus the Christ: Behind the scenes at the Mesa Easter Pageant'Jesus the Christ: The Mesa Easter Pageant' is a documentary that follows the annual Easter Pageant in Mesa, Arizona, a production that retells the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through live performances, music, and special effects.
Read more »
Extremely flat cosmic explosion dubbed 'the Cow' defies explanationRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter sciencef1rst.
Read more »
Here's what we've learned from NASA's DART asteroid-slamming mission so farRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter sciencef1rst.
Read more »
48 Easter-Basket Ideas for Every Type of KidEaster baskets are the Christmas stockings of spring — and there’s an art to filling them with a mix of delightful surprises and practical goodies without overspending
Read more »