Unlike you, skeletons bathe in vinegar to relax their bones! That's right, the household ingredient that you probably use to add some flavour to your salads, is what skeletons use to relax. How does it make them relax you may ask? Scroll down and complete an experiment to find out!

Lidded jar large enough to fit the chicken bone

Prep Time: 10 minutes.

Active Time: 5 minutes.

Observation Time: 5 days

1. After having a nice chicken dinner - save a bone. Leg bones work best! Safety tip: For health reasons, only use bones from cooked chicken.
   

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

3. Notice how hard the bone is – gently 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 add enough vinegar to cover the bone completely. Place the lid on the jar and let it sit for 5 days at room temperature.

5. After 5 days, remove the bone from the vinegar. Rinse it under running water, dry it off, and try bending it again.

1. 1. Why does the jar need to be stored at room temperature?

2. Why do leg bones work best for this experiment?

Before placing the bone in vinegar, it should be hard and not flexible at all when you attempt to bend it. After 5 days, the chicken bone should feel softer and more rubbery like it came from a rubber chicken!

Approximately 70% of a bone's structure is made of calcium in the form of hydroxyapatite. This makes them rigid and strong enough to support your body. While the calcium in bones makes them strong enough to support your body, they can't be made completely of the mineral or else they would be prone to breakage.

The fibrous protein collagen is also a large component of a bone's structure. Collagen, which is formed of long, flexible strands of protein give bones just enough flexibility to withstand everyday wear and tear.

The acetic acid in vinegar reacts with calcium in the chicken bones, dissolving the solid, rigid portion of the bone. It does not, however, dissolve the collagen. Because the calcium is dissolved and the flexible collagen remains, the bone retains its shape, but becomes more flexible.

There are several things you can vary in the experiment above to see how it affects the outcome:

1. Try leaving the bone in vinegar for longer to see how the amount of time in vinegar affects the bones flexibility.

2. Try using different sizes of bones to see how smaller or larger bones soften at different rates.

2. Use different types of vinegar to see how this affects the flexibility of the bones.

The calcium in your bones is what makes them hard and strong. As you age, you may deplete the calcium faster than you replace it. If too much calcium is lost from your bones, they may become brittle and susceptible to breaking. Exercise and a diet that includes calcium-rich foods can help prevent this from happening. Don't forget to listen to your parents and always drink your milk!

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